IAG carrier British Airways is making further cancellations to its winter schedule as it looks to minimise last-minute disruption to services at the end of this year and start of 2023. The decision by London Heathrow airport to extend its 100,000-passenger daily cap to the end of October has also pushed BA to make further cutbacks to its flight schedule for the next two months. The move is a further demonstration of the problems faced by the carrier and wider industry as they seek to staff up after the pandemic. Airlines, airports and other service providers are struggling to handle a surge in demand. BA notes that as its intention is to protect half-term getaways "we will need to make some further cancellations up to the end of October". It adds: "In addition, we're giving customers travelling with us this winter notice of some adjustments to our schedule, which will include consolidating some of our short-haul flights to destinations with multiple services." BA has progressively cut services through 2022 in response to staffing problems and Heathrow's passenger cap. The airline previously axed roughly 13% of its summer schedule, highlights Goodbody analyst Mark Simpson. He notes that the latest winter season cuts amount to around 8% of its schedule, or 5,000 round trips. "As part of the winter cancellations, BA is consolidating some of its short-haul flights to destinations with multiple services, which should lessen the disruption for customers who can book a similar flight at a different time on the same day," he notes.

US regional carrier ExpressJet Airlines has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will be liquidated in the coming weeks. The airline, which relaunched as leisure carrier Aha in October 2021 after losing its contract to operate flights on behalf of United Airlines the previous year, disclosed on 23 August that it had ceased all flight operations and filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware. "A combination of conditions led us to this decision," states ExpressJet chief executive Subodh Karnik. "Despite the valiant efforts of our employees to overcome challenges, and despite great support by our cities and airports – especially Reno-Tahoe and the community there – we arrived at a point where termination of operations was in the best interest of our stakeholders." The carrier links to the decision to a lack of available aircraft, lower revenues due to Covid-19 variants and an inability to implement hotel bundle offers, and high fuel prices. It says it expects to enter into an "orderly, court-supervised liquidation in the coming weeks". At its peak, ExpressJet operated more than 450 aircraft. Having previously operated as Delta Connection and United Express for several decades, it was relaunched as Aha in October with a plan to use Reno-Tahoe International airport as a base from which to deploy 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft on routes throughout the western USA.

Vietnam Airlines is seeking to dry-lease three Airbus A320neos. In a procurement update posted to its website, the Vietnamese flag carrier indicates a delivery schedule running from this year into 2023. Data shows the airline's fleet includes 20 A321neos. It does not, however, have any A320neos in service or storage, or on order.