German Airways has disclosed a wet-lease agreement with KLM Cityhopper under which it will operate five Embraer 190s for the Dutch carrier during the summer season. The Cologne-based charter and wet-lease specialist says it started operating an E190 from Dusseldorf for KLM Cityhopper at the end of February and another one from Stuttgart at the end of March, noting a previous "intensive co-operation" between the two carriers during summer 2022. A third aircraft will be deployed from Swiss city Basel from mid-June, while the remaining two will be stationed in Aalborg in Denmark and Frankfurt in July. German Airways says the two carriers intend to continue their collaboration beyond the winter 2023/24 season. On 11 May, KLM Cityhopper disclosed its plan to would wet-lease aircraft, extend leases of in-service E-Jets and adjust its schedule as a result of engine issues with the carrier's E195-E2s.

China Airlines will exercise options for eight more Boeing 787-9s that were part of an order for up to 24 aircraft finalised by the Taiwanese carrier in September 2022. The SkyTeam carrier states in a Taipei stock exchange disclosure that its board approved the purchase on 10 May, with the maximum value of the transaction capped at $2.3 billion. No other details on when the aircraft will be delivered were provided in the disclosure. China Airlines selected the 787-9 to replace its ageing fleet of Airbus A330-300s in August 20022, finalising a firm order for 16 aircraft and eight options one month later.

TAP Air Portugal made a loss in the first quarter but saw passenger numbers surpass pre-pandemic levels as demand for leisure trips surged. Net loss of €57.4 million ($62.6 million) in the three months to end-March represents a "significant improvement" on previous quarters and betters the result of 2019's first quarter by nearly €50 million. The carrier says 3.5 million passengers flew with it during the first quarter, narrowly eclipsing the 3.4 million recorded four years earlier and up two-thirds on 2022's comparable figure. Capacity was at its highest first-quarter level in TAP's history, and up nearly 40% on last year. The carrier says this growth, supported by improved load factors that reached 79%, pushed revenue up to €836 million. AP has been bolstered by soaring leisure demand coming out of the pandemic, which has not only raised passenger numbers but pushed fares higher. This enabled it to post a full-year net profit for 2022. "The first quarter of 2023 showed a continuous demand growth, enabling TAP to carry, for the first time in a post-crisis quarter, more passengers than in 2019," states chief executive Luís Rodrigues, who took over leadership of the carrier following the sudden departure of Christine Ourmieres-Widener in March. "TAP delivered, in this quarter, a strong operational and financial performance, despite the increase in costs and operational challenges. Addressing these challenges on the doorstep of summer is the path we need to focus on. A path that cannot be achieved without the effort and dedication of all our employees," adds Rodrigues. In common with airlines across Europe, TAP has been impacted by sharply higher fuel prices which have dampened profitability. Total costs rose to €846 million, a rise of 58% on last year, reflecting fuel expenditure that more than doubled. as well as an increased level of flying. Cost per available seat-kilometre (CASK) from overall recurring operating costs rose by 14%. Stripping out fuel, however, the increase was just 1.2%. Two new summer destinations were added by the carrier during the period, from Lisbon to Naples and Porto Santo in Madeira. TAP's total fleet size was 95 aircraft at end-March, and 67% of its mid- and long-haul fleet was accounted for by Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, against just 17% at the same point in 2019. Portugal's government majority-nationalised TAP amid the pandemic in 2020, with the state controlling a 50.1% stake and the bulk of the remainder held by the Atlantic Gateway consortium. An announcement from the government on privatisation is due in the coming months, and all three of Europe's full-service airline groups – Air France-KLM, IAG and Lufthansa Group – have expressed interest in taking over the airline.