A declaration of support for a public-private effort to decarbonise European aviation has been signed by 35 countries and the European Commission. The Toulouse Declaration seeks to reinforce the work of Destination 2050, an aviation industry collective that seeks the funding, political will and infrastructure to achieve net zero within 30 years. Destination 2050 was launched last year by Europe’s five chief aviation associations, representing airlines (A4E and the ERA), airports (ACI), aerospace manufacturers (the ASD) and air navigation service providers (CANSO). Key to the Toulouse Declaration is a desire to establish a European strategy for the production of sustainable aviation fuel and synthetic fuel, plus research on low-carbon aviation technologies, as well as regulatory systems to minimise fuel consumption. The agreement also seeks to build momentum for a global regulatory push on aviation emissions at the 41st ICAO Assembly taking place later this year.

AirAsia Indonesia has disclosed that its flight operations are proceeding normally and dismissed media reports of potential redundancies. “We would like to convey to all passengers that AirAsia’s flight operations Indonesia proceeds normally while ensuring safety flights in accordance with applicable health protocols,” the low-cost carrier’s president director Veranita Josephine states in response to queries from the Indonesia stock exchange. In the statement, Josephine says the carrier has raised flight frequencies starting from February “to meet increasing demand”. “At AirAsia, we always put our employees first, and continue to strive to expand job opportunities for employees in line with our grand plan for strong growth going forward,” she adds. The query relates to a 1 February report by Sindonews, which suggested the airline could make potential layoffs due to financial difficulties.

Ryanair Group carried 7 million passengers in January, up 438% year on year. The budget airline says the figure decreased 26% versus December 2021. Ryanair operated over 46,400 flights in January with a load factor of 79%, compared to at least 62,200 flights with a load factor of about 85% in November and December. The group says travel restrictions due to the Omicron variant badly affected traffic in December and January.