Azul has reached agreements with "substantially all" its lessor and manufacturer creditors as part of efforts to ease its debt burden. The Brazilian carrier and its domestic rival Gol have each been negotiating payment-reduction deals with their creditors this year, amid pandemic-induced cash shortages which persist despite the revival of travel demand and the return of quarterly profits. Azul says it has completed negotiations with its lessors, resulting in the permanent elimination of lease-payment obligations that had previously been deferred during the Covid crisis, as well as a permanent reduction in lease payments from the original contractual rates to agreed-upon current market rates. Additionally, OEMs have agreed to the deferral of "certain payments", says the airline. In early March, lessors representing more than 90% of Azul's lease obligations agreed a deal which reduced the carrier's payments. In exchange, lessors would receive a tradeable note maturing in 2030 and equity priced to reflect Azul’s current cash generation, capital structure and reduced credit risk. Azul's chief executive John Rodgerson said on 10 August during an earnings call that there was still one lessor not yet "over the line". "We're still talking to them," he said. The airline has estimated that its lease payments will be reduced by R1.5 billion ($298 million) in 2023 and R1.1 billion in 2024. Its second-quarter operating profit was up 81% versus 2019, at $121 million. In August, noteholders sought to sell back to Azul $285 million worth of senior secured second-out notes due 2029, far exceeding the $55.9 million maximum repurchase amount set forth in Azul's tender offer. Separately, Gol noted in its second-quarter earnings release that it had recently completed a major debt restructuring led by parent Abra Group. Debt with a face value of $1.1 billion was repurchased. Chief executive Celso Ferrer said during Gol's second-quarter earnings call on 27 July that addressing liabilities with leasing companies was the "main focus right now".

The government of the European island country of Malta plans to establish a new airline to replace struggling flag carrier Air Malta. The new carrier is expected to start operations on 31 March 2024 with a fleet of eight Airbus A320neo aircraft, according to Prime Minister Robert Abela. Air Malta will keep flying until 30 March 2024 and passengers can continue to book tickets as usual. The same number of workers will be employed at the new company as at Air Malta, he adds, saying those workers will have "a quality career with certainty and stability". Malta's finance minister Clyde Caruana states that the country's national airline is "a crucial part of the infrastructure of our islands" and the air connectivity it provides is "inextricably linked to the economic growth and the success of our country". Caruana adds: "The new national airline will build on the many good things of Air Malta, but with a strong emphasis on long-term financial stability." The airline will be "sustainable and in line with environmental measures", the government adds, without elaborating.

Scandinavian carrier SAS will operate its last commercial Boeing 737 flight on 19 November. The airline says the service will be operated from Danish capital Copenhagen to the aircraft's base in Oslo in Norway under flight number SK737. A 737-700 named "Dag Viking" (registered LN-RRB) has been selected to operate the flight, SAS adds. Fleets data shows that six 737-700s and three 737-800s, variously built between 2000 and 2013, remain part of SAS's fleet today. The airline introduced its first 737 in 1989, having previously operated McDonnell Douglas DC-9s and MD-80s across its short-haul network. Its 737 fleet size peaked in 2015, with 30 737-800s, 29 -700s and 26 -600s. Having operated Airbus A320-family jets in parallel with its 737s for years, SAS has decided to standardise its narrowbody fleet around the European airframe. "The Boeing 737 has served us well," SAS states. "But it's time to say goodbye to this iconic aircraft, to make way for the next generation, more efficient aircraft, which we have been phasing in for the last few years." Sixty-six A320-family jets are listed as part of SAS's fleet, including 36 A320neos and three A321LRs. The carrier has another 18 A320neos on order.