Qantas will open a new engineering academy by 2025 as part of a wider plan to add more than 8,500 new skilled positions over the next decade to support its growing fleet. The Qantas Group Engineering Academy is expected to train up to 300 engineers per year once it opens for its own operations, and for other sectors of the Australian aviation industry. “Aviation is so important to a country like Australia and you need a big skills pipeline to power it,” says Qantas group chief executive Alan Joyce. “That’s not just about the major airlines but also small regional operators, defence and general aviation. It’s a whole ecosystem that pilots and engineers, in particular, make their way through, and the long-term skills base require .Graduates from the academy are expected to help feed the airline’s need to hire 800 engineers by 2033. Qantas adds that it will also require 4,500 cabin crew, while it will also require 1,600 pilots and 1,600 other operational roles as it renews and grows its fleet. Data shows that the carrier and its low-cost unit Jetstar have 159 aircraft on order, comprised of 20 Airbus A220s, 124 A320neos and A321neos, and 12 A350-1000s. It has also committed to ordering nine additional A220-300s, while its Network Aviation unit will also take on additional used A320ceos to meet growing demand from resource charter clients.

IATA is mounting a legal challenge to the Dutch government's decision to reduce the capacity of Amsterdam Schiphol airport. The airline association argues that the decision contravenes EU Regulation 598/2014 on noise-related operating restrictions at EU airports. Schiphol is already restricted to 500,000 flights per annum. The new national decree would reduce this to 460,000 from November 2023. IATA further contends that the decree disregards Annex 16 of the Chicago Convention, which contains provisions for "The Balanced Approach to Aircraft Noise Management" which states are obligated to follow when taking measures to manage the noise impacts of aviation. The association complains that no meaningful consultation was undertaken with industry, that flight reductions are being imposed as a first resort rather than a last one, and that economic damage to the Dutch aviation industry is not being addressed.

Lufthansa Group has placed orders for an additional 22 long-haul aircraft, consisting of 10 Airbus A350-1000s, five A350-900s and seven Boeing 787-9s, in a deal worth $7.5 billion at list prices. The aircraft are set for delivery from the mid-2020s onwards and will enable the retirement of older, less fuel-efficient units, Lufthansa says. It adds that the group is in “advanced negotiations” to acquire further long-haul aircraft that could be available at shorter notice. “With our purchase of 22 further Airbus A350s and Boeing 787s, we have secured the delivery of more than 50 latest-generation long-haul aircraft for the member airlines of the Lufthansa Group since the pandemic began,” states chief executive Carsten Spohr. “These aircraft will be equipped with our new long-haul cabins, including the latest-generation seats in all classes of travel.” In total, the company is due to take delivery of 108 latest-generation aircraft, such as the A350-900 and -1000, 787-9 and 777-9, over the coming years. This will give the group “the quietest, most profitable and most economical long-haul aircraft that are currently in service”, it says, with a 30% fuel burn saving per passenger compared with previous aircraft types. It will also enable the company to retire older aircraft over “the medium term”. It cites six sub-fleets, such as the four-engined 747-400, A340-300s and -600s, and the twin-engined 777-200s, 767-300s and A330-200s. This will reduce the number of quad-jet units within the company’s fleet to under 15% from over half before the pandemic. In total, including short-haul aircraft, Lufthansa Group currently has over 200 firm orders for delivery over the coming years. This includes 36 new 787-9s and 33 A350-900s, a type of which it already operates 21. Furthermore to the agreement for new aircraft, Lufthansa has signed a memorandum of understanding with Airbus “to further strengthen their co-operation in the field of sustainability and future technologies”. This will seek to intensify the use of sustainable aviation fuels, optimise flight management, and explore the use of hydrogen.