Air accident investigators in New Zealand have identified a safety issue with faulty engine fire switches in Airbus A320-family cockpits that has caused uncommanded, in-flight engine shutdowns on multiple aircraft. "The switches need to be inspected and replaced," writes the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) in an interim factual report issued as part of its probe into an uncommanded engine shutdown during an Air New Zealand Airbus A320neo's flight from Wellington to Sydney on 1 December 2024. The aircraft diverted to Auckland and landed safely. TAIC says the engine shutdown was caused by "self-release of an engine fire pushbutton switch" located in the cockpit overhead panel above and behind the pilots' heads. "Neither pilot had touched it, and no checklist told them to check it after the engine shutdown," TAIC says in its interim report. The investigators add that switch manufacturer Safran determined that the fire-control panel had been "damaged through mishandling by a supplier", which resulted in the bending of a retaining pin inside the switch and the loosening of the switch's retention security in its latched position. In the TAIC account, Safran told Airbus and posted on its operator portal information about the issue in May 2024 "but did not directly notify airlines". In September and October 2024, Safran issued service bulletins listing 108 fire panels that needed to be inspected for damage. "The first time Airbus told airlines about the problem was on 18 December 2024," TAIC adds. Airbus confirms that it circulated an operator information transmission in December 2024 and followed that up with service bulletins in June 2025. Portuguese air accident investigation authority GPIAAF on 18 December 2024 published a report about a similar incident in 2023 with a TAP-operated A321neo. French authority BEA investigated another similar incident which occurred in October 2024 and involved a damaged cockpit panel that was not in Safran's list of suspected equipment. Following the investigations, the Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand informed the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) that "the scale of the problem of damaged fire panels was unknown", TAIC says. In October, EASA issued an airworthiness directive mandating inspections of all engine fire switch panels by November 2027. Safran has declined to comment on TAIC's findings.

Qatar Airways has named Hamad Ali Al-Khater as its new group chief executive. Al-Khater, who replaces Badr Mohammed Al‑Meer in the role, joins the group from Hamad International airport, where he served as chief operating officer and vice president of business development, his LinkedIn profile indicates. He has been at the airport since April 2024, having previously spent nearly a decade at QatarEnergy, mostly as business opportunity manager. "With this leadership transition, Qatar Airways Group reaffirms its commitment to delivering world-class experiences, reliability and innovation to travellers around the globe," states the carrier's board chair Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi. Al-Meer, who likewise previously served as Hamad's operations chief, has led Qatar Airways for just over two years. He replaced Akbar Al Baker, who led the company for 27 years before departing in November 2023. Reporting results for its financial year to end-March, Qatar Airways declared it the "best year commercially" in its history. Operating profit was up 9% to QR14.7 million ($4 billion) after an 8% rise in passenger numbers, to 43.1 million.

Jetstar will start flying from Melbourne to Sri Lankan capital Colombo from August 2026, using Boeing 787-8s that have been refurbished to facilitate longer-haul flying. The Australian carrier will from 25 August operate a thrice-weekly service on the route – facing competition from Sri Lankan Airlines. "This new route out of our home base of Melbourne is part of a huge growth phase for Jetstar," states chief executive Stephanie Tully. "We've added new destinations [and] more aircraft, and we’re continuing to expand our international network to give travellers even more choice and opportunities to take off for less." Melbourne-Colombo is the first new long-haul route announced by Jetstar that will be facilitated by its reconfigured 787-8s, which are being retrofitted with a crew rest area and a larger business-class cabin, allowing them to operate flights of up to 16h duration. Jetstar adds that the first of the 11 jets to undergo the refit will touch down at its Melbourne base in late March.