Boeing during the second half of 2024 plans to add a new assembly line for 737 Max aircraft at its facility in Everett, Washington, in a move, it could boost production of the narrowbody by 25% says the airframer. The new assembly line would complement three other Max production lines at its nearby Renton facility, Boeing says, while also adding capacity for Max shipments from its Everett delivery center. “Demand for the 737 Max, especially newer models like the 737-8-200 and 737-10, continues to rise, and adding production capacity will allow us to better meet the needs of our customer,” Boeing says. “Given the proximity to our 737 factory in Renton, Everett is a great fit with the availability of highly skilled workers and factory space.” Adding a new Max production line, Boeing says, “will help ensure we have stability in our production system as we ramp [up] our production rate”. The airframer is producing 31 Max aircraft per month, Boeing chief executive David Calhoun said on 25 January during an earnings call, and the company seeks to accelerate Max production to 50 aircraft per month by 2025-2026. The airframer ended 2022 with 250 Max aircraft and 100 787s in its inventory awaiting delivery. Monthly deliveries of Max aircraft “will slow slightly”, Boeing executive vice-president and chief financial officer Brian West said during the call, due in part to the pace of Max 7 and 10 build rates as aircraft from existing inventory are shipped. Verification work on 787 aircraft is also ongoing at Boeing’s Everett factory, which the airframer says will continue in Everett, including in former 747 production bays. Boeing on 31 January also delivered its final 747 widebody to Atlas Air.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has said that it will retain power to grant airworthiness certificates for new 787s prior to delivery until “Boeing’s quality control and manufacturing processes consistently produce 787s that meet FAA design standards”.

Emirates has flown its first flight with one engine powered entirely by sustainable aviation fuel, claiming a first among carriers in the Middle East and North Africa. The Dubai operator describes the flight, operated with a Boeing 777-300ER, as a step toward a future where 100% SAF will be used to power aircraft, slashing lifecycle CO2 emissions. Emirates was joined by partners Boeing, GE Aerospace, Honeywell, Neste and Virent in procuring and developing the SAF blend. During lab tests, chemical and physical fuel property measurements were conducted at each blending ratio.
The 18t of SAF used in the flight comprised HEFA-SPK provided by Neste and HDO-SAK from Virent. SAF was used to power one of the GE Aerospace GE90 engines, while the other engine was powered by conventional jet fuel. Adel Al Redha, chief operating officer at Emirates, states that the flight will pave the way for future regulatory approvals of higher SAF blends. "This flight is a milestone moment for Emirates and a positive step for our industry as we work collectively to address one of our biggest challenges: reducing our carbon footprint," he adds. "Such initiatives are critical contributors to industry knowledge on SAF, and provide data to demonstrate the use of higher blends of SAF for future regulatory approvals."

UK regional airline Flybe has ceased trading and entered into administration. "Flybe has now ceased trading and all flights from and to the UK operated by Flybe have been cancelled and will not be rescheduled," the airline says in a statement. On 28 January, the high court appointed David Pike and Mike Pink of insolvency firm Interpath Advisory as joint administrators to help manage the affairs, business and property of Flybe. Flybe operated scheduled services from Belfast City, Birmingham and Heathrow to airports across the UK and to Amsterdam and Geneva. Flybe relaunched services after collapsing just prior to the pandemic in 2020. The new Flybe is owned by US-based Cyrus Capital Partners, who purchased the airline's brand following its collapse in 2020.