Private Russian carriers S7 Airlines and Ural Airlines have reached insurance settlements with lessors covering a total of 64 aircraft. S7 says that it has completed settlements with a group of "foreign lessors" relating to 45 medium-haul aircraft, totalling almost half of its fleet, along with four engines. These settlements, which were reached with the participation of Russian insurance company NSK, were with lessors including AerCap, Air Lease Corporation (ALC) and SMBC Aviation Capital. S7 says these agreements terminate claims against Russian parties under both insurance policies and lease agreements for the aircraft. Ural Airlines says it has completed the insurance settlement process for 19 Airbus aircraft with AerCap. In a 21 December regulatory update, AerCap says that it received cash insurance settlement proceeds of approximately $572 million in relation to 18 aircraft and one spare engine with Ural Airlines, and 29 aircraft and four spare engines with S7. The lessor says it has a separate claim against its all-risk insurers under its contingent and possessed insurance policies, which relates to these 47 aircraft and five spare engines, and covers approximately $836 million. This claim will be amended in due course to "reflect these recoveries," it adds. AerCap says insurance settlement discussions are ongoing with respect to its remaining claims under the insurance policies of S7 and other Russian airlines. "It is uncertain whether any of these discussions will result in any insurance settlement or receipt of insurance settlement proceeds," it adds. Also in a 21 December regulatory update, ALC says it received cash insurance settlement proceeds of approximately $64.9 million in regard to its insurance claims against S7 for three A320s and one A321, and now releases its claims. Another five A321neo jets previously on lease to S7 were not included in the insurance settlement, the US lessor highlights. ALC says further settlement discussions regarding aircraft previously leased to Russian airlines are ongoing. However, it adds that it is "uncertain whether any of these discussions will result in any settlement or receipt of settlement proceeds and, if so, in what amount". The California-based lessor notes that it took legal action in December 2022 in the Los Angeles county superior court against its aviation insurance carriers in connection with its previously submitted insurance claims. While receipt of these insurance settlement proceeds serve to mitigate, in part, ALC's losses under its aviation insurance policies, the lessor asserts it "continues to have significant claims against its aviation insurance carriers and will continue to vigorously pursue all available insurance claims and its related insurance litigation, and all rights and remedies therein".

Air China plans to raise up to CNY6 billion ($840 million) through a private share issuance. The funds will be used to purchase 17 new aircraft and to replenish the company's working capital. As per sources, Air China will not issue more than 855 million A shares to its controlling shareholder, China National Aviation Holding Corporation (CNAHC), at a share price of CNY7.02 per share. The airline currently has a fleet of 498 aircraft in service and stored in its fleet. It also has 108 jets on order, with 34 scheduled to be delivered from the end of the year through 2024, including 13 Boeing 737 Maxes and five Comac C919s. According to sources, the airline also announced that it plans to raise up to HK$2 billion ($256 million) by issuing up to 393 million H shares at HK$5.09 per share to China National Aviation Corporation, a subsidiary of CNAHC. The proceeds from this issuance will be used to replenish the airline's working capital. On 26th December, Air China's share prices were indicated at CNY7.31 and HK$4.7 on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Stock Exchange, respectively, according to sources.

Lufthansa Group has ordered 40 Boeing 737 Max 8s and the same number of Airbus A220-300s. The deals include options on another 60 Max 8s, 20 A220-300s and 40 A320-family jets, says the airline group. It adds that the A220s will be delivered from 2026 and the Max 8s from the third quarter of 2027. Lufthansa says the Max 8s will not be used by its mainline, new subsidiary City Airlines or Swiss. "The decision on this will be made at a later date," adds the group. The aircraft will be configured with 190 seats in a two-class business/economy configuration. Executive board member fleet and technology Detlef Kayser states that the 737-8 order will "give us more flexibility for the procurement of short- and medium-haul aircraft in the future". Citing a backlog of 71 on-order A320neo-family aircraft, Lufthansa says that by taking options on more, it is "securing favourable conditions for future orders" from Airbus. The newly ordered A220s, meanwhile, will be deployed at City Airlines for feeder services to Lufthansa's hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. Boeing highlights that the Max deal represents the first single-aisle order Lufthansa has placed with the US airframer since receiving its final 737-300 in 1995. Lufthansa decommissioned its last 737 in 2016. However, leisure carrier SunExpress – jointly owned by Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines – has since operated 737NGs and Max jets. Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr describes the Max order as a "good strategic decision" for the group. He notes that Lufthansa was the launch operator of the initial 737-100 variant in 1968. Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Stan Deal states that the airframer's relationship with Lufthansa Group "has led to a number of industry-changing achievements", adding: "We are delighted to see the 737 return to an original launch customer's fleet." Swiss has operated A220s since 2016, serving as the A220-100's launch operator when the aircraft was still branded as the Bombardier CSeries. Airbus commercial chief Christian Scherer states: "Lufthansa Group was one of the first customers for the A220 and has successfully operated the aircraft in its Swiss route network ever since. We are delighted by this testimony of confidence from our long-standing partner and customer." Lufthansa says the aircraft orders with Airbus and Boeing have a total list-price value of $9 billion, and does not expect a significant impact on capital expenditure in 2023-24.