China Southern Airlines has suspended its solicitation of bids on 10 Boeing 787-8s and two spare GE Aerospace GEnx-1B70/P2 engines via the Shanghai United Equity Exchange. The carrier decided to suspend the bids "in view of the existence of matters affecting property rights transactions", says the SUAEE. It specifies that the solicitation of bids has been suspended until 12 May. The suspension comes amid a tit-for-tat trade war between the USA and China which may affect Boeing aircraft deliveries into China. Bloomberg News reported on 15 April that China has ordered its carriers not to take delivery of Boeing jets, citing people familiar with the matter.

United Airlines has reported an operating profit of $607 million for the first quarter of 2025, a giant step up from the $99 million profit the US major made during the same period in 2024. Operating revenue increased 5% to $13.2 billion. Expenses, at $12.6 billion, were up 1% year on year. United notes that its operation's start of the year has been "stronger than any previous year since 2021". "We will continue to execute our multiyear plan that has allowed United to thrive in any demand environment," United chief executive Scott Kirby states. "It has given us industry-leading margins in the good times and we expect to expand our lead further in challenging economic times." The Chicago-based carrier raised first-quarter capacity by 5% versus the first quarter of 2024. Load factor slid one percentage point, to 79%. United ended the first quarter with $18.3 billion in liquidity, and total debt, finance lease obligations and other financial liabilities of $27.7 billion.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has certificated the Airbus A350-900 with an enhanced performance (EP) version of the aircraft's Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engine. Airbus says that the upgrade features upgraded fan, compressor and turbine aerodynamics and improved turbine blade cooling, all designed to reduce fuel consumption by 1% versus the baseline engine. The Trent XWB-84 is the sole engine available on the A350-900, while the larger -1000 variant is fitted with the more powerful Trent XWB-97. Airbus predicts that EASA's approval of the Trent XWB 84 EP approval will be followed "in the very near future" with a corresponding certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration. "Together with our partner Rolls-Royce, this latest evolution underscores our joint commitment to continuous improvement and innovation," states Airbus's head of widebody programme Julien Puyou. He adds: "The Trent XWB-84 is already among the most efficient widebody engines on the market and this enhanced version will deliver even greater performance and efficiency for our airline customers." Unlike other ongoing improvements for Trent engines, the Trent XWB-84 EP upgrade will not be retrofittable, Rolls-Royce previously said. The upgrade will initially be available as a customer option and become standard over time.