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.

Philippines-based carrier Cebu Pacific on 1 January took delivery of its ninth Airbus A320neo. The aircraft, powered by used sustainable aviation fuel, took its maiden flight from the Airbus Hamburg facility in Germany to the Ninoy Aquino International airport in Manila, the low-cost airline says. This aircraft delivery is first of the 11 expected new Airbus neo deliveries for the year and include three A320neos, four A321neos, and four A330neos. Chief strategy officer Alex Reyes states: "This SAF-powered aircraft delivery supports our sustainability strategy in shifting to a more fuel-efficient neo fleet by 2028." To date, the airline's fleet consists of 21 A320ceos, nine A320neos, seven A321ceos, 10 A321neos, four A330ceos, four A330neos, 14 ATR 72-600s, six ATR 72-500s and two ATR freighters.