Australia will reopen international borders to vaccinated travellers and foreign tourists from 21 February, ahead of neighbouring New Zealand's plans to fully reopen by October. Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announced the move to allow all visa holders who have been double-vaccinated to enter the country during a media briefing on 7 February. Australia began progressively reopening its borders since mid-December, allowing international students and family members of citizens and permanent residents to enter the country. The wider reopening could see airlines continue to gain more traction in international recovery in the coming months. Data shows that international flights originating from Australia have gradually inched up since the beginning of the pandemic, averaging about 300 flights per week between April to December 2020 to 500 flights per week for the whole of 2021. In January, airlines operated about 800 international flights per week, returning to the same levels seen in May to June 2021, the highest levels reached during the pandemic. However, this remains a fraction of the 4,300 flights in January 2019. Flight numbers look to rise in the coming months, with airlines scheduling about 770 flights per week in February, up to 1,000 flights per week in March and between 2,500-2,900 flights for the rest of the year. Qantas in December had predicted a slower ramp up in its international capacity in the first half of 2022 by about 10 percentage points, reaching the bottom end of its previous estimate of 40-55% of pre-pandemic levels. Chief executive Alan Joyce noted that news of the variant had "a clear impact on people’s confidence to book international trips in particular", but had not resulted in "large numbers of cancellations". Australian Airports Association chief executive James Goodwin observes that international travel to the country is only at 15% of pre-Covid levels and adds that the return of international travellers will also be a much-needed boost for domestic routes. Goodwin says: "In pre-Covid times 30% of domestic air travellers were international passengers. International tourists don’t just visit one Australian city. They fly from state to state to see all of what our nation has to offer so it is vital all domestic borders reopen and stay open."

The UK government’s proposals to shake up airline compensation legislation will result in fewer claims and lower expenditure for airlines, according to consumer rights legal firm Bott and Co. Although the proposals would reduce the threshold that compensation would be due down to one hour of delay from three currently – meaning that over ten times as many passengers could make claims – it would also massively reduce the average compensation claim amount. Based on government data, this would fall from an average of £220 ($297) to £23.60. "In theory the changes expose the airlines to more compensation, however the consultation acknowledges that in reality far fewer people will actually have the impetus to make a claim when the compensation is on average just £23.60," comments Coby Benson, consumer rights solicitor at Bott and Co. "The net result is that the airlines will save money because passengers will be disincentivised to make a claim." The law firm also believes that consumers will be less likely to challenge an airline’s refusal for compensation when relative small amounts are at stake, especially given the costs in launching a claim under the government’s alternative dispute resolution scheme. "I think if compensation is going to be reduced to such a low level then it should be paid out automatically, without any argument over extraordinary circumstances. This would then mirror the regulations for rail delays,” adds Benson. Currently, passengers are able to claim for delays of three hours or longer. The government's central proposal is that for a delay of more than one hour but less than two, passengers will be entitled to compensation of 25% of their ticket price. For a delay of more than two hours but less than three, this rises to 50% of ticket price. Beyond three, the full ticket price would be refunded. The change in legislation is designed to update UK regulation after Brexit.

The US Federal Aviation Administration's concerns over the activation of 5G telecommunication networks in the USA are "nothing new", Peter DeFazio, chair of the US House committee on transportation and infrastructure, said during a hearing on 3 February. The FAA and the US Transportation department have expressed concerns that 5G implementation could interfere with radio altimeters on board aircraft. Under pressure from regulators, AT&T and Verizon agreed on 18 January that their twin launch of 5G communications networks on 19 January would temporarily bypass certain US airports amid ongoing safety concerns. AT&T stated at the time that it was "frustrated by the FAA’s inability to do what nearly 40 countries have done, which is to safely deploy 5G technology without disrupting aviation services". DeFazio on 3 February cited as the true culprit a "completely broken" federal interagency process for auctioning off spectrum. “My colleagues and I watched in complete dismay as the deployment of 5G originally proceeded without any of the safety mitigations the FAA, aviation industry and I have long called for,” DeFazio says. “This resulted in a disorienting display of 5G fits and starts over the last several months, inevitably due to the FCC auctioning off 5G spectrum without any concrete plan in place to safely deploy these technologies without interfering with aviation.” He adds that "numerous aviation stakeholders" had expressed their concerns over the 5G rollout to the Federal Communications Commission "prior to and after the FCC voted to open up the C-band for wireless use all the way back in 2018".