Emirates has declared the current season to be "one of its busiest summers ever", citing passenger numbers of over 14 million and load factors above 80%. The Middle Eastern carrier says forward booking trends "indicate unabated demand" for international travel to and via its Dubai hub as winter approaches. "Travel demand across our network has been strong and resilient despite rising cost-of-living pressures in many markets," states chief commercial officer Adnan Kazim. "It shows the value that people place on travel – whether for work, play, study, or visiting loved ones; and how essential international air connectivity is to communities." He adds that the carrier is seeing strong customer demand across its product offering, and especially in premium cabins. Emirates Group, which includes airport services group Dnata, in May reported an annual profit of $2.9 billion, saying that the reopening of travel markets after the pandemic had triggered a "tide of demand".

Cathay Pacific will boost its flights from Hong Kong to Brisbane from four- to six-times weekly from 1 December.
All six flights will be operated by Boeing 777-300ERs, Brisbane airport says. "Cathay Pacific's increase in Brisbane services is predicted to deliver almost A$158 million ($103 million) over two years for the visitor economy, supporting 840 good Queensland jobs and an extra 50t in return freight capacity," states Queensland tourism minister Stirling Hinchliffe. Earlier in July Cathay announced that it would boost its Perth services from three- to five-times per week from 6 December with Airbus A350-900s.

Fitch Ratings has affirmed its shareholder support (SSR) and long-term issuer default (IDR) ratings for CDB Aviation, CDB Leasing and Bocomm Leasing. The US agency has maintained its "A+" rating on both metrics for the China Development Bank-controlled entities and Bocomm Leasing's "A" rating. Fitch says its affirmation for CDB Leasing reflect the "very high probability" of support from CDB in times of stress, given the bank's 64.4% majority control and the lessor's status as a "core subsidiary". "We expect CDB to provide liquidity and capital support to CDB Leasing, if needed. We believe CDB Leasing's status as a listed company does not weaken its role as a core subsidiary of CDB or the close links and integration between the two," writes Fitch. It observes that CDB Aviation's IDR is, similarly, driven by "very high probability" of support from CDB Leasing and its ultimate parent CDB, reflecting the unit's "strategically important role" as the sole aircraft-leasing platform within the group, and its support of China's strategy to develop the aviation industry under the nation's 14th five-year plan. Fitch notes that the IDRs and SSRs of CDB Leasing and CDB Aviation are underpinned by shareholder support and are equalised with CDB's ratings. Any change in CDB's ratings, reflecting a shift in the perceived willingness or ability of China's government to support the bank in a full and timely manner, or a change in China's sovereign rating ("A+/Stable") would therefore affect the ratings by at least the "same magnitude", the agency warns. Likewise, any signs of a "weakening in the linkages" between CDB, CDB Leasing and CDB Aviation or decline in the perceived level of support from CDB could lead to a ratings downgrade. These would include a meaningful reduction in CDB's shareholdings or CDB losing its status and strong control as majority shareholder, changes in the regulatory obligation in CDB Leasing's articles of association for CDB to provide capital and liquidity support, or a significant change in CDB Leasing's and CDB Aviation's roles in the group or strategies that make them deviate significantly from the shareholder's overall strategy or policy role, Fitch specifies. Any restructuring that affects the role of CDB Aviation or additional regulatory restrictions that limit CDB Leasing's ability to provide timely support may also lead to negative rating action on CDB Aviation, the agency adds. It has affirmed Bocomm Leasing's and its overseas platforms' short-term IDRs at "F1+". Meanwhile, their SSRs have been affirmed at "A". Additionally, the ratings on the medium-term note programmes and senior unsecured notes issued by Bocomm Leasing's overseas platforms and special-purpose vehicles have also been affirmed at "A". The IDRs and SSRs of Bocomm Leasing and its overseas platforms are underpinned by support from parent firm Bank of Communications, Fitch notes. "The stable outlook reflects our expectation Bocomm Leasing's role in the group and the operational linkages with its parent will not change substantially. The outlook is consistent with the stable outlook on Bocomm's ratings and China's sovereign rating," writes the agency. It again adds the caveat that any sign of a weakening in the linkage between the lessor and its parent or decline in the perceived level of support from the parent could lead to a ratings downgrade.