China Airlines will exercise options for eight more Boeing 787-9s that were part of an order for up to 24 aircraft finalised by the Taiwanese carrier in September 2022. The SkyTeam carrier states in a Taipei stock exchange disclosure that its board approved the purchase on 10 May, with the maximum value of the transaction capped at $2.3 billion. No other details on when the aircraft will be delivered were provided in the disclosure. China Airlines selected the 787-9 to replace its ageing fleet of Airbus A330-300s in August 20022, finalising a firm order for 16 aircraft and eight options one month later.

TAP Air Portugal made a loss in the first quarter but saw passenger numbers surpass pre-pandemic levels as demand for leisure trips surged. Net loss of €57.4 million ($62.6 million) in the three months to end-March represents a "significant improvement" on previous quarters and betters the result of 2019's first quarter by nearly €50 million. The carrier says 3.5 million passengers flew with it during the first quarter, narrowly eclipsing the 3.4 million recorded four years earlier and up two-thirds on 2022's comparable figure. Capacity was at its highest first-quarter level in TAP's history, and up nearly 40% on last year. The carrier says this growth, supported by improved load factors that reached 79%, pushed revenue up to €836 million. AP has been bolstered by soaring leisure demand coming out of the pandemic, which has not only raised passenger numbers but pushed fares higher. This enabled it to post a full-year net profit for 2022. "The first quarter of 2023 showed a continuous demand growth, enabling TAP to carry, for the first time in a post-crisis quarter, more passengers than in 2019," states chief executive Luís Rodrigues, who took over leadership of the carrier following the sudden departure of Christine Ourmieres-Widener in March. "TAP delivered, in this quarter, a strong operational and financial performance, despite the increase in costs and operational challenges. Addressing these challenges on the doorstep of summer is the path we need to focus on. A path that cannot be achieved without the effort and dedication of all our employees," adds Rodrigues. In common with airlines across Europe, TAP has been impacted by sharply higher fuel prices which have dampened profitability. Total costs rose to €846 million, a rise of 58% on last year, reflecting fuel expenditure that more than doubled. as well as an increased level of flying. Cost per available seat-kilometre (CASK) from overall recurring operating costs rose by 14%. Stripping out fuel, however, the increase was just 1.2%. Two new summer destinations were added by the carrier during the period, from Lisbon to Naples and Porto Santo in Madeira. TAP's total fleet size was 95 aircraft at end-March, and 67% of its mid- and long-haul fleet was accounted for by Airbus A320neo-family aircraft, against just 17% at the same point in 2019. Portugal's government majority-nationalised TAP amid the pandemic in 2020, with the state controlling a 50.1% stake and the bulk of the remainder held by the Atlantic Gateway consortium. An announcement from the government on privatisation is due in the coming months, and all three of Europe's full-service airline groups – Air France-KLM, IAG and Lufthansa Group – have expressed interest in taking over the airline.

Indian low-cost carrier Go First has blamed Pratt & Whitney's failure to supply additional engines for its Airbus A320neo fleet as the reason for it suspending operations and filing for voluntary insolvency resolution on 2 May. In a statement, the carrier says that it has had to make the filing "due to the ever-increasing number of failing engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney's International Aero Engines, LLC, which has resulted in Go First having to ground 25 aircraft… as of 1 May." A notice on the airline's website shows that it has cancelled flights scheduled for 3-5 May for "operational reasons" but gave no indication of if it plans to restart operations, nor how the filing with India's National Company Law Tribunal may affect its future schedule. Pratt & Whitney PW1127G engines power the 50 A320neos in Go First's fleet, Cirium fleets data shows, and at the time it suspended operations there were 24 in service and 26 in storage. It also operated five CFM International CFM56-5B-powered A320ceos, which were all in service. Go First holds orders for a further 88 A320neos. The airline has been in a long dispute with Pratt over the availability of spare PW1127G engines that culminated in a binding arbitration in Singapore during March, under which the manufacturer was ordered to provided 10 spare leased engines to the airline. Subsequent to that, Go First filed a lawsuit against Pratt on 28 April in the Delaware District Court, seeking to enforce the arbitration award, warning that it will "suffer irreparable harm and be forced to declare bankruptcy" if it is not provided with additional spare engines. The documents also show that the carrier required a minimum of 103 engines for normal operations but only around 56 were serviceable, which had "led to a profound decline in operating revenue per aircraft per month (declining from $2.08 million in FY15 to $1.22 million in FY 23)." It adds that its EBITDA margin had dropped from 6% in the 2015 fiscal year to -30%, as it has been forced to bear its fixed costs and aircraft lease rentals. Soon after the carrier posted its notice of flight suspensions on 2 May, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued the carrier a 'Show Cause Notice' for failing to report the flight cancellations, warning that it may take action against the airline. The airline has 24 hours to provide a response or face potential regulatory action. Fleets data shows that SMBC Aviation Capital and CDB Aviation have the largest exposure to the carrier, with each leasing 10 aircraft to Go First. Other significant lessors include Jackson Square Aviation (eight aircraft), ICBC Leasing (six) and Minsheng Financial Leasing (five). In April some Indian media outlets reported that Go First's owner, Wadia Group, was exploring strategic options for the carrier including a potential sale to a third party.