Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on a range of sustainability initiatives. The Australian carrier says the MoU will focus on advancing the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and low carbon aviation fuel (LCAF), environmental management including waste and energy management, sustainable procurement, and aviation workforce development. The collaboration will also focus on the certification, production, and commercial uptake of SAF and LCAF in Australia, as well as exploring sustainability-related customer solutions, it adds. "This is our first sustainability-focused MoU with a partner airline, reflecting the growing and strategic nature of our relationship with Qatar Airways," Virgin Australia chief corporate affairs and sustainability officer Christian Bennett says. In October, Qatar Airways Group announced it plans to acquire a minority 25% equity stake in Virgin Australia, subject to the Australian government's approval.

The US Justice Department's antitrust division and the Department of Transportation will start a broad-focused public inquiry into competition in the country's airline sector. The agencies say they are seeking public information on consolidation, anticompetitive conduct, and "a wide range of issues affecting the availability and affordability of air travel options". The topics covered in the agencies' joint request for information (RFI) include previous airline mergers, exclusionary conduct, airport access, aircraft manufacturing, airline ticket sales, pricing, and rewards practices, and the experiences of aviation workers. "Competition in air travel is a vehicle for better quality, better fares, and better choices for Americans," states assistant attorney general Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department's antitrust division. "With this inquiry, we hope to learn more from the businesses and travellers at the centre of this essential industry. Their feedback will ensure the Justice Department can continue to build on its historic efforts to protect competition in air travel." The departments are inviting passengers, airline staff, analysts and travel agents, among others to provide comments. The deadline for submissions is 23 December 2024. The inquiry comes in the context of the Justic Department went to court to block the merger of JetBlue and Spirit on competition grounds, and to unwind JetBlue's Northwest Alliance with American Airlines.

Qantas will refurbish the economy cabins on 10 Airbus A330-200s from mid-2025, with the new upgraded aircraft to enter service by the end of that year on Asian routes. The aircraft will be refitted with the same economy seats the airline chose for its Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000s, 13.3in OLED entertainment touchscreens, plus USB-C fast charging and Bluetooth connectivity. Fleets data shows that it has selected the Recaro CL3810 seat for the A350s. Qantas adds that the existing business suites on the A330s will be retained as they "continue to receive positive feedback from customers" and are consistent with the product offered on its A380s and Boeing 787-9s. The airline will complete the work at its Brisbane maintenance facility, with all 10 aircraft expected to complete their refit by the end of 2026. Fleets data shows that the carrier has 12, A330-200Es in its fleet that are aged between 11.9 and 16.9 years. It also has four other -200s that are between 21.5 and 21.9 years old. All 16 of the A330-200s are currently fitted with Recaro CL3610 seats in economy, while 14 of them have Panasonic Avionics eX3 in-flight entertainment systems featuring either 8in or 11.1in screens. The remaining two have Lufthansa Systems' Board Connect IFE.