Boeing and Gulf Air have announced an agreement for the purchase of 12 Boeing 787s with options for six more as the Bahrain-based airline looks to further develop its international network. Once finalised the additional order will bring the carrier's firm order book to 14 for the 787, Boeing says on 17 July. "This agreement marks a transformative step in Gulf Air's strategic growth journey as we expand our global footprint and modernise our fleet with one of the industry's most advanced and efficient aircraft," states Khalid Taqi, chairman of Gulf Air Group. Cirium fleets data shows that Gulf Air has 10 787-9s in service, plus orders for two more that are scheduled to deliver in March and October 2026. It also has five Airbus A320neos and three A321neos on order and a total in service and stored fleet of 43 aircraft.

Finnair has reported sharply lower profits for the second quarter, after rolling strikes hiked costs and ate into demand. Operating profit of €19.2 million ($22.3 million) was 56% below the €43.6 million that it reported last year, though revenue grew slightly to €788 million. Finnair was forced to slash over 1,300 flights in the period as a result of industrial action by pilots in April and ground staff in May and June, raising expenses from customer rerouting and care, as well as compensation for delays. The strikes cost the airline around €41 million in lost revenue and reduced operating profit by around €10 million, it estimates. Meanwhile, Finnair's comparable operating result took a hit of around €29 million to come in at €10.3 million, against €43.6 million last year. Across the full year, Finnair expects strikes to cut €100 million from revenue, €70 million from its comparable operating result and around 5% from total capacity by ASKs. Collective labour agreements were signed by pilots in April; by crews and agency staff later in the quarter; and in recent days by Finland's service sector and aviation sector unions, which the airline believes will put the threat of strikes behind it. Finnair notes that despite the disruption, 94% of flights were operated as planned in the second quarter. "Restoring customer trust and satisfaction is of primary importance to us, and we are systematically working towards this by taking care of our customers and their needs as well as possible, both in the development of our product and services and in our daily operations," states chief executive Turkka Kuusisto. Finnair has halved its capacity guidance for the full year, to 5% growth, and expects revenue to be in the range of €3.2-3.3 billion, a slight moderation on its guidance in April. The airline is cautioning that its final comparable operating result will be at the lower end of its €30-130 million guidance – itself narrowed from €100-200 million in April – as a result of "weaker-than-expected demand in North Atlantic traffic and the indirect effects of industrial action on demand in broader terms". Kuusisto adds: "During the quarter, general market uncertainties increased, which began to affect demand for transatlantic flights, and customers’ booking windows became shorter. Our North American traffic grew significantly, but the growth rate was more moderate than previously planned, and average ticket fares in the area declined. In other markets, demand developed as expected."

A KLM Boeing 777-200 operating between New York JFK and Amsterdam Schiphol will be flown by Air France pilots for the next four months – a move aimed at boosting the Dutch carrier's crew capacity over the busy summer period. The first flight under the new collaboration, KL641, departed from Schiphol on 16 July with Air France pilots working alongside KLM cabin crew. The arrangement will remain in place until the end of October. "This collaboration will help KLM to operate its scheduled flights this summer," states KLM chief operating officer Maarten Stienen. "It supplements our capacity this summer, which is good for KLM as a whole." The two airlines say they have "worked hard" over the last several months to make the co-operation possible, including engaging with their respective unions and aviation authorities. Air France-KLM group chief executive Ben Smith said in 2024 that the Dutch carrier was struggling to increase its capacity because of a shortage of pilots and maintenance workers. He said at the time that KLM faced "challenges with training our pilots under the right equipment".