LOT Polish Airlines has posted reduced profits for 2024 on the back of heightened competition and weaker prices. The Warsaw-based carrier posted a zl806 million ($204 million) operating profit and a net result of zl689 million, a 27% decrease from zl1.1 billion in 2023. Passenger numbers rose by 700,000 to 10.7 million, as part of its ambition to reach 16.9 million in 2028. Seven Boeing 737 Max 8s, three Embraer 195 E-2s, and one first generation E195 joined it fleet over the period, bringing its total to 86 jets by end-December. It expects a further increase to 111 in 2028. LOT states that its operating margin held steady at 8.1% despite an increase in competition that drove weaker ticket prices. It attributes this to active network management, cost control and a move into the charter market. A total of 1.3 million charter passengers flew with LOT through the period, nearly a fifth more than 2023, while charter capacity rose by 11%. “LOT Polish Airlines is now larger and financially stronger,” states president Michal Fijol. “These are the foundations of our strategy, which we are consistently implementing.” Fijol was reinstated as the company’s chief executive earlier this month following an interim period in which he served as the management board’s proxy, informally leading the company. His LinkedIn profile shows that he was previously chief executive of the airline between June 2023 and December 2024. Fijol has been the chief architect behind LOT's medium-term expansion plan to expand its fleet by around half and passenger numbers by 65% between 2023 and 2028, in a bid to become the dominant full-service airline in Eastern Europe. LOT is entirely owned by the Polish government and does not publish full accounts.

China Southern Airlines has again cancelled a plan to spin-off China Southern Air Logistics, citing current market conditions. China Southern says in a Hong Kong stock exchange statement that it has decided to withdraw the plan to list the subsidiary on the Shanghai Stock Exchange " after thorough communication and prudent evaluation". It adds that the withdrawal will not have material impact on the company or its future strategic plans. China Southern first announced that it would spin the cargo unit off in September 2020, but later cancelled the plan to list 49% of its equity on the Shanghai United Assets and Equity Exchange. Then, in March 2023, it advised that its board had voted unanimously to seek a listing for China Southern Air Logistics on the main board of the SSE but gave no details on when it planned to complete the transaction. The Guangzhou-headquartered unit was established on 24 October 2018 out of the cargo department of China Southern. Fleets data shows that the core airline and China Southern Cargo operate a combined fleet of 18 Boeing 777-200LR freighters with one more on order. It operates 185 cargo flights per week, mainly from China to destinations including Frankfurt, Riyadh, Los Angeles and London Stansted.

UAE-based Flydubai increased EBITDA by 15% last year, to Dh4.1 billion ($1.1 billion), as it ramped up flying and expanded its network. Reporting its results, the budget airline notes that it increased capacity by a tenth as it sought to connect with short and medium-haul destinations that lacked links via widebody operator Emirates. Last year, Flydubai expanded its network to 131 destinations (spread across 55 countries), of which 97 were in its description "underserved". Ten were new to the carrier. It says it expanded despite having been forced to "re-evaluate its route development plans" and cut frequencies on some routes "due to ongoing challenges with aircraft delivery schedules". Flydubai received four Boeing 737 Max 8s last year, but all were from the backlog of prior years. None of the aircraft that were meant to be delivered last year arrived, because of delays at Boeing. As a result, the Middle Eastern extend the leases on four 737-800s it had planned to return to lessors. Chief executive Ghaith Al Ghaith acknowledges that, going forward, Flydubai’s strategic plans are "highly influenced" by Boeing's ability to get its delivery schedules back on track "and clear the backlog". Flydubai hopes to receive 12 Max jets this year to grow its fleet, replace existing aircraft, and allow it to expand. At year-end, the carrier operated 88 737s with an average age of 5.3 years. It had an orderbook of 127 737s, plus 30 Boeing 787s. Setting the outlook for 2025, Al Ghaith notes that Flydubai is anticipating "another positive performance this year where we have laid strong foundations for further growth". He adds: "We are well-versed in managing external challenges such as rising inflation [and] supply-chain disruptions, as well as geopolitical tensions. Our focus will be on transformation and innovation through further investment in technologies that will support our sustainability efforts, improve operational efficiencies, and strengthen our inhouse capabilities." The airline lifted passenger numbers 11% last year, to 15.4 million, powered by rising demand for both business and leisure travel. Capacity, as measured by available seat-kilometres, was raised a tenth and revenue rose 15% to Dh12.8 billion.