New Zealand authorities have launched an inquiry into an incident where the crew of an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-300ER lost control of the aircraft shortly after touching down at Auckland International Airport. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) states that the aircraft, registered ZK-OKN, was operating a flight from Melbourne on 27 January and was landing amid heavy rain and wind gusts when it “briefly lost directional control” and veered from the runway centreline. The crew were able to regain control of the aircraft and completed the landing before taxiing it to the terminal. The aircraft sustained damage to its undercarriage and one tyre deflated in the incident, while six runway edge lights were also damaged. The TAIC states that there are no reports of injuries to the crew and passengers onboard the aircraft. Two investigators have been appointed to lead the investigation. Fleets data shows that the 777 (MSN 38406) was delivered to Air New Zealand in 2011 and is owned by the airline. Auckland Airport has been affected by wild weather from 27-28 January, which caused flooding in sections of the international terminal. That resulted in a 37-hour closure of the facility, and international flights began to operate again from 29 January.

Allegiant Travel Company's president and chief operating officer, Scott Sheldon, has tendered his resignation, effective 1 April 2023. Sheldon's resignation has been accepted by the company's board of directors, Allegiant says. Greg Anderson will continue to serve as president and will assume oversight of the company's operational teams. Keny Wilper, Allegiant's senior vice president of OCC and stations, will assume the role of interim chief operating officer.
"I am incredibly proud of the work Scott has done throughout his tenure here at Allegiant," states John Redmond, Allegiant's chief executive. "His influence, leadership, and guidance permeated all levels of the organisation, and the company would not be where it is today without his contributions. I want to thank him for his many years of service. I speak for all of Allegiant when I say Scott's voice will be missed within the halls and walls of our company and that we wish him the absolute best in all his future endeavours." Sheldon states: "After careful deliberation, I believe now is the right time to move on from Allegiant and pursue more entrepreneurial opportunities. The company is stacked with some of the best and brightest talent in the industry and I'm confident the current management team will build on the strong foundations in place and guide Allegiant to its best days.
"I feel comfortable leaving at a time when the company is poised for growth and remains under steady leadership with John and Greg at the helm. The Allegiant future remains bright, and I look forward to continuing to support the company's leadership team any way I can, even as I take the next step in my career." Wilper has been with Allegiant since 2002 and has held "numerous operational roles" within the company, Allegiant says. He helped develop the airline's first-ever ancillary inflight programme, which has been a "cornerstone of Allegiant's business model". Throughout his career, he has held "critical roles" in operations and was promoted to vice president, stations, in 2015 where he had operational responsibility for Allegiant's more than 100 airports, as well as the thousands of employees and contractors serving those airports. In 2022, his role expanded to include oversight of Allegiant's operational control center.

Air France-KLM has secured early delivery slots for three newly ordered Airbus A350-900s via a lessor deal. The airline group on 27 January disclosed a follow-up order for three A350-900s and four A350 Freighters to join an existing backlog of 18 A350-900s and four of the in-development cargo variant. The three newly ordered A350-900s are scheduled to join Air France's fleet in 2024, while the previous 18 on-order aircraft will be delivered through late 2025, the SkyTeam carrier says. Responding to an enquiry what facilitated the relatively short delivery schedule for the new orders, Air France says the additional A350-900s will be leased. The group's A350Fs, meanwhile, are scheduled for delivery from the second half 2026. Airbus targets A350F service entry in 2025. Data shows that Air France has received 20 A350-900s since 2019. Of these, 13 are managed by lessors – three by Avolon; two each by Aircraft Leasing & Management, Griffin Global Asset Management, ICBC Leasing and Jackson Square Aviation; and one each by Aviation Capital Group and Tokyo Century.
Airbus's A350 backlog comprises 300 orders for the A350-900, 74 for the -1000, 35 for the freighter variant and one corporate aircraft. In 2022, Airbus laid out a plan to increase A350 production to six per month, from five, early in 2023.