US president Joseph Biden has re-nominated Phil Washington to become the administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration after months without a confirmation hearing following his initial nomination in July. Washington is chief executive of Denver International airport, before which he headed up the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. His prior experience also includes work as chief executive of Denver Regional Transportation District. Senate Commerce Committee chair Maria Cantwell has not scheduled a hearing but in December said the committee would consider his nomination in 2023. Democrats maintained control over the Senate in the November midterm election but may have delayed scheduling a hearing as lawmakers faced a heated summer of campaign events. Senator Roger Wicker, the ranking Republican on the commerce committee, has also opposed Washington’s nomination out of concern that he is named in a search warrant related to allegations of corruption at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Washington has denied these allegations. The previous FAA administrator Steve Dickson on 1 April 2022 departed halfway through his five-year term that began in 2019. The FAA since then has been led by acting chief Billy Nolen.

VietJet has taken delivery of its new A321neo ACF to gear up for the upcoming holiday travel season in the region. The 240-seat aircraft landed at Noi Bai International airport in Hanoi on New Year's Eve and will be operating in the first few days of 2023, the Vietnamese low-cost carrier says The carrier also took delivery of another A330 recently. It plans to expand its flight network to the further destinations in Asia Pacific and beyond with the new aircraft.

A slew of European countries have enacted Covid-19 testing procedures for arrivals from China, as the country opens up despite surging case numbers. Currently, EU members France, Italy, and Spain are enforcing testing on arrivals from China. Negotiations are expected to restart this week on a common EU position on testing, after officials were unable to reach agreement before Christmas, according to Euronews. France is urging the block to follow its lead of testing arrivals from China, measures that will take place until at least the end of the month. Italy announced that arrivals from China would require testing on 28 December, followed by Spain three days later. The US has imposed similar requirements, as have several countries in Asia. Over half of arrivals on one flight arriving from China to Italy on the first day of the new rules were found to be positive for the disease, Sky News reported. The UK government says that passengers flying from China to the country must present a negative PCR result before boarding, but that testing upon arrival in the country will be optional, reports the Independent. The relaxation of some of the tightest anti-virus regulations in the world in China coincides with Beijing’s efforts to reverse an economic downturn. Restrictions on overseas travel will be loosened on 8 January, allowing more citizens to return to the skies. The concern among health authorities globally is that an abrupt loosening of restrictions will raise the possibility of new variants emerging.