The Japan Coast Guard De Havilland Dash 8-300 that collided with a Japan Airlines A350-900 on 2 January at Tokyo Haneda airport appears to have entered the runway without clearance from air traffic control. Japan's transport ministry released a short transcript of air traffic control communications in the minutes leading up to the accident, which killed five on board the Dash 8 and led to a massive post-crash fire. All 367 passengers and 12 crew on the A350, registered JA13XJ (MSN 538), were evacuated before the aircraft was subsequently destroyed by the fire. The transcript, shows that the Coast Guard De Havilland Dash 8-300, registered JA722A (MSN 656), was cleared to taxi to holding point C5 at 17:45 (local time), shortly after which the crew read back the instruction. While the C5 point is the entry point to runway 34R, it appears that the Dash 8 did not receive clearance to enter the runway. The A350, operating flight JL516, had been cleared to land on the runway less than 30 seconds prior. NOTAMs indicate that stop bar lighting at several points along taxiway C, including at point C5, were not operational at the time, along with other lights on the airfield, until 22 February. Reports from Japan indicate that the sole survivor on the Dash 8, who was the captain, has been interviewed by Tokyo Police which is running an investigation in cooperation with the Japan Transport Safety Bureau. There are also reports that the crew operating the A350 have told investigators that they did not see the Dash 8 on the runway as they were coming into land.

Alaska Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, with seven more to join its fleet this year. The US carrier operates Max 9s in its fleet today and, in March 2022, modified a previous order for the model to include the 737-8 and in-development -10. Alaska's backlog includes firm orders for 80 Max jets and options and purchase rights for another 105, it says. The next four Max 8s are scheduled for delivery in March. Alaska says it is on track to add 15-25 new Boeing jets each year from through 2027, noting that the first Max 10 is due to join its fleet in 2025. To keep its 737-800s up to date, the carrier is investing $130 million in cabin refurbishment programme scheduled to begin in late 2024 and run through 2026. Regional subsidiary Horizon Air, for its part, will add nine Embraer 175s over the next three years, bringing its total to 50 E-Jets. "The addition of the Max 8 and eventually the Max 10 to our fleet creates new opportunities for us to fly longer nonstop routes and maximise our revenue potential," states Alaska senior vice-president of fleet, finance and alliances Nat Pieper.

China Eastern has received its fourth Comac C919 (B-919E, MSN 00010) in a sign that the Chinese airframer is increasing its pace of delivery. According to the carrier, the aircraft took off from Shanghai Pudong International airport on 2 January at 9:44 (local time) and arrived at Shanghai Hongqiao International airport at 10:02. The delivery comes less than a month after China Eastern received its third C919 in December. The carrier received its first C919 in December 2022, which entered commercial service on 28 May flying between Shanghai and Chengdu, and received its second example in July 2023. Since its first commercial C919 flight to the end of last year, the carrier says the fleet has flown 655 commercial flights, carrying nearly 82,000 passengers. The carrier ordered an additional 100 C919s in September. Prior to the latest delivery, the carrier had five units scheduled for delivery in 2024.