Air New Zealand and Embraer will support each other’s initiatives to accelerate the development and launch of sustainable aircraft. The flag carrier will join Embraer’s Energia Advisory Group, joining more than 20 other airlines in the programme first launched in 2021 with the goal of developing 19- or 30-seat aircraft for regional markets. The Brazil-based manufacturer will focus the group’s efforts on developing both a hybrid-electric aircraft, which could reach technology-readiness by the early 2030s, and a hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered aircraft it aims to develop by 2035. Embraer will also support Air New Zealand’s Mission Next Gen Aircraft initiative to develop zero emissions aircraft technologies and infrastructure to support their operation, Embraer Commercial Aviation chief executive Arjan Meijer states. “Smaller, regional aircraft are going to be the first platforms on which new fuel and propulsion systems can be introduced effectively,” Meijer says. “Embraer looks forward to contributing to Air New Zealand’s initiative and also adding their expertise and requirements into Embraer’s Energia project.” Air New Zealand’s fleet includes 23 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-300 turboprop aircraft, fleets data shows. The carrier aims to replace these with zero-emission regional aircraft by around 2030. Swedish electric airplane developer Heart Aerospace will assist the flag carrier with that goal, joining Airbus, ATR, and Universal Hydrogen as a partner in the Mission Next Gen Aircraft effort. Heart is developing the ES-30 battery-powered propeller plane, which is designed to seat 30 passengers. The initial version of the regional ES-30 aircraft, which it aims to certificate and deliver by 2028, will be a hybrid-electric aircraft. That design would have a flight range of 200km (108nm) for zero-emissions relying only on battery power, while it could have an extended range of 400km with 30 passengers by using both gasoline and electric power. Future designs would extend the range of battery-powered flight. Investors in Heart include Air Canada, Mesa Air Group, and United Airlines Ventures.

Moody's Investors Service has assigned a "Ba3" senior secured rating to a planned refinancing of a term loan B facility issued by American Airlines. The amount of the new term loan, issued on 6 February, is expected to be $1 billion, and the US rating agency says it expects the proceeds of this financing, along with the proceeds of a potential issuance of pari passu senior secured debt secured by the same collateral as the term loan B, to be used to refinance American's existing $1.8 billion term loan B issued in 2013 and due to mature in 2025. The company's South American slots, gates and routes are the collateral for the existing term loan and will also be used to secure the new financing. The "B2" corporate family rating and the stable outlook assigned to American Airlines Group, the parent of American, are unaffected by the refinancing, Moody's adds. Separately, Fitch Ratings has revised American Airlines' rating outlook to "positive" from "stable" and affirmed its issuer default rating at "B-". Fitch has also affirmed American's senior secured debt at "B'/'RR3", which applies to the company's proposed term loan B. The rating agency says the positive outlook reflects the airline's progress towards deleveraging its balance sheet and a "supportive supply/demand environment" that is likely to produce improved profitability in 2023. Fitch states that "modest" capital spending provides American with capacity to execute its deleveraging plans and says the Oneworld carrier may warrant a higher rating in the next six to 12 months absent weaker-than-expected results potentially driven by macroeconomic factors. Fitch has also affirmed its "BB" ratings on the $10 billion in financing co-issued by American's AAdvantage loyalty frequent flyer programme.

Dispatchers and facilities maintenance technicians at Southwest Airlines have voted to approve new employment contracts with the Dallas-based carrier. Southwest's more than 450 dispatch employees were represented during negotiations by the Transport Workers Union Local 550 (TWU 550), while its 50 facilities maintenance technicians were represented by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA). "We have now ratified agreements with five of our union-represented workgroups within the past four months," Adam Carlisle, Southwest's vice-president labour relations states. "While we are extremely pleased with this progress, we remain steadfastly committed to advancing the negotiations currently under way for four other Southwest workgroups." Members at unions representing Southwest's appearance technicians, customer-service employees and flight instructors have ratified employment contracts since October 2022. Southwest Airlines Pilots Association (SWAPA) president Casey Murray on 18 January called for a strike authorisation vote among union members, stating that a "lack of discussion or commitment" from the airline's leadership team to "rectify" operational issues for passengers and pilots "drove us to make the decision to carry forward on this path afforded to us by the [US] Railway Labor Act". SWAPA says that its call for a strike authorisation vote "comes in the wake of Southwest’s largest meltdown and the utter lack of meaningful progress on a contract negotiation, with scheduling work rules and information technology asks in particular, that has been ongoing for more than three years". The pilots' union in May will vote on the authorisation of a potential strike, with the results of the vote tallied at the end of that month.