Boeing has urged airlines operating the Boeing 737 Max to inspect their aircraft for a “possible loose bolt in the rudder control system.” “Under consultation with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), Boeing has issued a Multi-Operator Message (MOM), urging operators of newer single-aisle airplanes to inspect specific tie rods that control rudder movement for possible loose hardware,” says the US aviation agency in a 28 December statement. Boeing recommended the inspections after an unnamed international operator found a bolt with a missing nut during routine maintenance on a mechanism in the rudder-control linkage. The airframer also discovered a nut that was “not properly tightened” on an undelivered aircraft. The FAA says it is closely monitoring the inspections – which are expected to take two hours – and will remain in contact with Boeing and airlines while inspections are ongoing. It adds that it will “consider additional action based on any further discovery of loose or missing hardware”.

Kenya Airways has signed a short-term lease agreement for one Airbus A330 with Portuguese wet-lease and charter specialist Hi Fly. The carrier says the ACMI lease will result in the A330 being added to its fleet immediately to improve operational efficiency and boost capacity. It notes that the aircraft's arrival will also help accommodate the expected increase in travellers following the government's announcement that Kenya will become visa-free starting January 2024. "With the current capacity constraints on the back of the growing demand for airline travel, we need to balance our customers immediate needs by bringing more capacity into the market," states Kenya Airways group managing director and chief executive Allan Kilavuka, adding, "With the arrival of the aircraft, we expect to see improved operational stability and efficiency, as well as enhanced capacity for the convenience of our passengers."

Pegasus Airlines has received its first aircraft manufactured at Airbus's newest A320 family final assembly line (FAL) in Toulouse. The new Pegasus Airlines A321neo is the first delivery from Airbus' manufacturing facility, the European airframer says. The production line, located in the former A380 "Jean-Luc Lagardere" facility, demonstrates Airbus' commitment towards modernisation, Airbus says. The A321neo, which makes up around 65% of Airbus' backlog of A320 family orders, is in line with the growing demand for the aircraft worldwide. The aircraft manufacturer claims that the A321neo has "unrivaled autonomy and performance," and that "more than 5,600 A321neo aircraft have been ordered by over 100 customers worldwide". Pegasus Airlines now operates 93 Airbus aircraft, including six A320ceo, 46 A320neo, and 41 A321neo with 68 A321neos on order. Airbus says the aircraft's delivery to Pegasus Airlines marks the start of the ramp-up of the new Toulouse FAL, which, along with the other A320 family FALs in Hamburg in Germany, Mobile in the USA, and Tianjin in China will help Airbus meet its goal of manufacturing 75 A320 family aircraft per month in 2026.