Airbus has opened its second A320 Family assembly line at its Tianjin, China facility, with the first aircraft to roll off the line scheduled for early 2026. The airframer states that the inauguration of the second line brings the total number of A320 Family assembly lines to 10, including four in Hamburg, two in Toulouse and two in Mobile, Alabama "We welcome the addition of Tianjin’s second line to our global production system, as it provides us with the necessary flexibility and capacity to deliver on our plan to assemble 75 A320 Family aircraft per month in 2027", says Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury. The Tianjin facility was inaugurated in 2008 and Airbus says it has assembled more than 780 A320 Family aircraft since then.

Cathay Group and Airbus have jointly allocated $70 million to study production of sustainable aviation fuel. "The two companies will work to identify, evaluate and invest in projects that support the scaling of SAF production towards 2030 and beyond," Cathay says, adding that "projects will be assessed based on their commercial viability, technological maturity and potential for long-term offtake". Oneworld member Cathay acknowledges that "scaling SAF adoption requires deep collaboration across the value chain, from policymakers and investors to SAF producers, airlines and customers". It specifies that the aim of its Airbus collaboration is to "accelerate [SAF] production capability for more meaningful impact". The agreement was disclosed during the IATA World Sustainability Symposium in Hong Kong. "SAF remains the most important lever for Cathay and the wider aviation industry to drive toward our common decarbonisation goals," states Cathay operations chief Alex McGowan. "This co-investment partnership with Airbus underscores our commitment to supporting a more scalable SAF industry in the near term." Cathay highlights its separate involvement in Oneworld's joint SAF fund with Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the climate investment firm founded by Bill Gates. That initiative is aimed at exploring next-generation SAF technologies with potential to significantly scale volume and reduce costs. The Airbus partnership, meanwhile, "will target more mature SAF opportunities to accelerate near- to medium-term availability", Cathay says. Airbus president Asia-Pacific Anand Stanley states that the agreement reflects the two companies' commitment "to make a real difference", adding: "The production and distribution of affordable SAF at scale requires an unprecedented cross-sectoral approach. Our partnership with Cathay is a concrete example."

US aviation investment firm Air T has agreed to buy Australian carrier Regional Express, subject to approval from creditors and customary closing conditions. The airline's administrators from Ernst & Young confirmed in a 21 October statement that they have "now entered into a sale and implementation deed with Air T, which will result in the sale and recapitalisation of the business operations conducted by the Group". No details of how much the bid is worth were provided, but the administrators say that no return to shareholders is anticipated. The proposal will be voted on by creditors at a meeting that must be convened before 5 December, which is when the administration period is set to end. Rex's administrators also thanked the Australian Government for its "support to date in assisting to facilitate the proposed transaction". Transport minister Catherine King welcomed the announcement, noting that the government "has also entered into an agreement with Air T in relation to restructuring Rex’s financing arrangements in connection with the acquisition." She adds: "This will allow Rex to keep flying and maintain critical aviation links for regional communities." Canberra is Rex's largest secured creditor after it purchased A$50 million ($32.4 million) of debt previously owed to PAG Capital Asia, while it has also provided A$110 million in financing to support its continuing regional turboprop operations since it was placed in administration on 30 July 2024 following deep losses from its Boeing 737-800 operations. NASDAQ-listed Air T operates in four major aviation sectors: commercial aircraft engines and parts, ground support equipment, digital solutions and overnight air cargo. It is not currently invested in commercial passenger operations but has invested in an aircraft portfolio managed by Crestone Asset Management. Fleets data shows that Rex operates a fleet of 34 Saab 340Bs and has 23 more in storage.