Safran has raised its 2025 delivery guidance for CFM International Leap engines after 25% higher output in the third quarter than in the second. The French aerospace group – which jointly owns CFM with GE Aerospace – now expects 2025 deliveries to be up 20% year on year. It had previously targeted a 15-20% increase on last year's 1,407 Leap deliveries. In the third quarter, CFM delivered 511 Leap engines, up 40% year on year. For the year to end-September, output was up 21% at 1,240 engines. During a 24 October results call, Safran chief executive Olivier Andries expressed confidence that CFM would catch up with Leap delivery delays that have created a fleet of engine-less Airbus A320neo-family jets at the airframer's assembly lines. On 30 July, Airbus said it had 60 "gliders" in its inventory. The delays were caused initially by supply bottlenecks at GE facilities in 2024 and subsequently by industrial action at Safran's assembly plant in Villaroche, outside Paris, earlier this year. "We had a very strong Q3," Andries says. "I don't see any reason why Q4 should be different than Q3. This is why we have raised our guidance on deliveries of Leap for the full year. If we continue on this rate of weekly deliveries to Airbus, we will catch up by end of October, beginning of November." Andries says CFM is "aligned with Airbus" on Leap volumes for next year and 2027, but still in talks with the airframer about its plan to reach production of 75 A320neo-family jets a month in 2027. "We have engaged in discussion for the Rate 75, and so the discussions are ongoing at the moment," he says. Noting that Airbus "has not said that Rate 75 would be fully reached [across the] full year in 2027", he adds: "We have a joint vision of the number of engines they need for 2026 and 2027. And we are discussing now 2028 and going forward." Andries highlights a Safran decision, disclosed on 13 October, to establish a new assembly line in Morocco for Leap-1As, which are optionally available on A320neo-family jets. Deliveries from that site are scheduled to begin in 2028, and its production volume to reach 350 a year in 2030. Leap production across all sites – Safran's main assembly line in Villaroche, plus a Mexican line which supplies engines to Airbus's US assembly line in Mobile, GE's facilities, and the new Moroccan operation – is targeted to reach 2,500 engines per annum. However, Andries describes engine assembly capacity as "just the tip of the iceberg" of efforts to boost production capacity. "We have to look at the global picture, which is encompassing forging, casting, machining [and] special processes," he says, citing increased engine demand from Airbus, Boeing and Comac. In the third quarter, Safran's propulsion division grew revenue 21% to €4 billion ($4.7 billion). The manufacturer highlights a 16% rise in spare-part sales for CFM56 and high-thrust engines and a 24% increase in commercial engine services, driven largely by Leap hour-based support contracts. Equipment and defence revenue rose 12% to €3 billion, while the aircraft interiors division's turnover increased 10% to €802 million. Safran says a 12% rise in cabin equipment sales was partially offset by certification challenges for business seats. Deliveries of business seats declined to 428 from 592 in the third-quarter of 2024. The group has lifted its full-year 2025 outlook and now predicts 11-13% revenue growth, up from a previous estimate in the low teens. Recurring operating income is forecast at €5.1-5.2 billion (versus €5-5.1 billion previously), and free cash flow at €3.5-3.7 billion (up from €3.4-3.6 billion). Safran notes that it has for the first time included in the upgraded figures a net cost estimate of €100-150 million as a result of new tariffs.

American Airlines has appointed Oneworld alliance chief executive Nat Pieper to be its new chief commercial officer, reporting to the US major's chief executive Robert Isom. Pieper in February 2024 had been named chief executive of Oneworld. Prior to taking the role with the alliance, Pieper was senior vice-president of fleet, finance and alliances at Alaska Airlines which, like American, is a Oneworld member. He has previously held executive positions at Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines. American vice-chair and chief strategy officer Steve Johnson has run the US major's commercial operation since the June 2024 departure of Vasu Raja, who had until that month been the carrier's chief commercial officer. Johnson will focus solely on his role as vice-chair and strategy chief when Pieper assumes the chief commercial officer role on 3 November. "Nat is a world-class, results-oriented leader who has achieved tremendous success throughout his entire career," Isom states. "He is well-versed in the airline business, having led teams across multiple disciplines at Northwest, Delta and Alaska. Nat's experience and expertise, coupled with his recent work with us leading Oneworld, make him incredibly well-suited to lead our commercial team." Oneworld tells Cirium that a search for a new CEO "will begin immediately".

Brunei's Department of Civil Aviation has revised its aviation requirements to adopt the Civil Aviation Administration of China's (CAAC) airworthiness standards for aircraft design, paving the way for the type certification of Chinese-manufactured Comac aircraft. Under the country's type acceptance regulations, the aircraft type to be certified is required to have prior approval from regulatory authorities, namely the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, the United States Federal Aviation Administration or Transport Canada. The latest amendment now puts CAAC on par with the respective regulators, recognising it as "acceptable State of Design’s NAA [National Aviation Authority]", according to a revision dated 18 October. "Requirements [have been] revised to reflect the adoption of CAAC and the recognition of the associated Export Certificate of Airworthiness or equivalent document issued by CAAC," details Brunei's aviation authority. The type certification of Comac C909 is expected to follow Brunei's adoption of CAAC's design standards, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for startup carrier GallopAir. "This is not only a major milestone for GallopAir but also a historic breakthrough in aligning Brunei's aviation sector with China's civil aviation frameworks," states its chief executive Cham Chi. GallopAir signed in September 2023 a letter of intent with Comac to purchase 30 aircraft, with confirmed orders for 15 C909s and 15 convertible orders for the regional jets and C919s. Chi tells Cirium that following this, it expects to launch commercial operations in the first quarter of 2026, with plans to launch flights from Brunei to Dili in Timor Leste. There are currently no direct flights between the two countries, while Qantas and Citilink operate daily flights from Darwin and Bali, respectively. Batik Air Malaysia and Airnorth operating twice-weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur and Darwin, respectively, Cirium schedules data shows.