Wizz Air has joined the Alliance for Zero-Emission Aviation (AZEA), a voluntary initiative launched by the European Commission to pave the way for next-generation sustainable aircraft. Wizz Air joins AZEA alongside a range of public and private aviation stakeholders, united by the shared mission to decarbonise the industry by facilitating the commercialisation of hydrogen and electric aircraft, the central European carrier says. To achieve this, AZEA members will work together to identify barriers to advancing zero-emission aircraft, establish recommendations and a roadmap to address them, and promote investment projects. Within AZEA, Wizz Air says it will share information with members on the expected challenges and solutions for achieving zero emission aircraft from an ultra-low-cost carrier perspective. Wizz Air states: "Joining AZEA is further demonstration of Wizz Air's continued commitment to sustainability and supports its target to reduce carbon emissions intensity per passenger kilometre by 25% by 2030."

Finnair is consulting on a wave of cabin-crew job cuts as it seeks to subcontract roles on some long-haul services. The plan involves transferring cabin crewing to "partners" for services to Thailand and the USA, resulting in the loss of 450 jobs within Finnair's in-flight services, out of a total of 1,750 across its network, the Oneworld member indicates in a statement. Subcontractors already provide cabin services for the airline's operations to Singapore, Hong Kong and India as well as the Qatari capital Doha from Stockholm and Copenhagen. Finnair has in recent months made a number of changes to its practices in a bid to decrease unit costs. This has included discussions of altered employment terms across all staff. For crews, it has proposed changes to crew utilisation efficiency, to layover hotel rules and to additional pay per hour rules for long flights. "A negotiation result was reached with some employee groups, but unfortunately, a solution was not found with the cabin crew in Finland," says the airline. "In this situation, Finnair must seek savings through alternative measures." Negotiations will start on 23 November and are set to last at least six weeks. Any resulting changes would be implemented by the end of next year. "The plan is a part of the efforts to restore Finnair's profitability by reducing unit costs and strengthening unit revenues," it adds. "Finnair made considerable losses during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the closure of Russian airspace significantly impacts Finnair's ability to generate profit."

The spot price of jet kerosene is continuing to sink globally as crude oil values decline, with the European price approaching the lowest level since the first quarter. Data from energy information provider ICIS, which is RELX-owned, shows that the price of jet kerosene for barge delivery to the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp import region fell to $990 per tonne on 15 November, from $1,127 four weeks earlier and $1,500 in June. The decline means that spot jet fuel for delivery to western Europe is now only a few dollars above lows hit in September and October. Should it break down further it will be the cheapest since late March, when it hit lows of around $900 per tonne. "The jet market has shown high volatility over the week," writes ICIS, noting "healthy" trading levels. "Spot prices have fallen on the previous week." Leading the declines have been falling crude oil values, slipping on demand concerns coming out of China. A firmer US dollar has also "kept a lid on prices", adds ICIS. Jet fuel prices nevertheless remain extremely elevated. In December last year, prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they were below $700 per tonne in the region. In the USA, jet kerosene prices for delivery to New York Harbor slipped by a more modest $1.75 per US gallon to $392, down from $420 four weeks ago, with inventories and production, alongside consumption, rising. And in Asia, prices for delivery to Singapore slipped by $5 per barrel to $122, down from $127.50 four weeks ago. ICIS notes that jet prices have been supported by tight supply, with sanctions on Russian gasoil exports having restricted the market and buoyed refining margins. "A significant increase in jet-kerosene exports from China has alleviated some of the supply constraint. Chinese exports are expected to hit 2 million tonnes in November, up from 1.23 million tonnes in September (approximately 319,800 barrels per day)."