EgyptAir's follow-on order of six Airbus A350s, disclosed at the Paris air show, had previously been counted in the airframer's published data, attributed to an unidentified customer. Airbus confirms that in January, EgyptAir converted A350-900 options, adding six firm orders to the 10 it had placed at the Dubai air show in 2023. Data shows that the North African carrier's mixed fleet of widebodies includes eight leased Boeing 787-9s and five leased 777-300ERs, in addition to five A330-200s – four owned, one leased – and four owned A330-300s. It also has converted passenger-to-freighter A330-200s.

China Eastern Airlines will start a Shanghai Pudong-Auckland-Buenos Aires service in December, reinstating a nonstop link between New Zealand and Argentina since March 2020. Auckland airport states that the airline plans to start with two additional weekly flights from Shanghai continuing to Buenos Aires Ezeiza airport, complementing its daily flights to Auckland. Data shows that China Eastern will be the only carrier on the route, and only the second carrier to fly between Auckland and South America after LATAM Airlines, which flies four times per week to Santiago in Chile. Air New Zealand previously flew to Buenos Aires from December 2015 until the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, but elected not to resume services on the route due to low demand.

Spanish carrier Iberia has outlined plans to increase its long-haul fleet 55% by 2030 as it intensifies its focus on transatlantic travel. Outlining its "strategic guide" for the period to 2030, the IAG subsidiary reveals its expectations for a €6 billion ($6.9 billion) investment in greater capacity, an increase in reach and refurbished cabins across much of its fleet. It has targeted a fleet expansion to 70 long-haul jets, up from 45 currently, and the positioning of Madrid Barajas as "a major European hub". This includes launching services to the new destinations of Toronto, Philadelphia and Mexican city Monterrey, on top of already announced new connections to Recife and Fortaleza in Brazil and to Orlando. "Iberia will also continue exploring new opportunities, particularly across the Atlantic," it says. Data for June shows that transatlantic services account for 17% of Iberia's capacity by seats, making the market its biggest outside Europe. Iberia's plans to increase its long-haul fleet include the addition of Airbus A321XLR aircraft, a single aisle with the range to operate transatlantic routes. The carrier was first to operate the XLR on a transatlantic route, using it to serve Boston from Madrid last year, and has since assigned the aircraft to its Washington DC service. Iberia has three XLRs in service and five on order. Iberia said previously it would be used "with a special focus on America". Iberia's services to Recife and Fortaleza, set to start in December and January, respectively, will be operated with the A321XLR. New A350s will also join the fleet. Iberia has 22 in service and eight more on order and could "potentially" receive A330neos "drawn from the recently announced IAG group order, which will be allocated across its member airlines". The group ordered 21 of the widebodies in May. In addition, all of Iberia's long-haul cabins are set to be renovated, and it will open a premium lounge in Terminal 4 at Barajas. Within its short- and medium-haul fleet, Iberia plans to undertake "comprehensive renewal", phasing out nearly all older-generation jets with A320neo-family equipment and thus "reinforcing the airline's commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050", it says. "Thanks to Iberia's profound transformation over the last decade and the efforts of all our people, we are now delivering results that allow us to look to the future with confidence and invest €6 billion in our Flight Plan 2030," states chief executive Marco Sansavini. "We want to grow from the current 45 long-haul aircraft to 70 to position Barajas as a major European hub and enhance Spain's global connectivity." The strategic plan envisages that annual profitability of 13.5-15% will enable the €6 billion investment over the course of the plan.