Korean Air has signed a memorandum of understanding with energy company Shell to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The MoU explores the supply and purchase of SAF from Shell at major airports in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East from 2026 for five years, the airline says in a release today. The airline will work with Shell and continue to expand cooperation with other global oil companies to secure SAF supply for other regions including Europe and the USA, it adds. Korean Air says it became the first Korean airline in November 2017 to use SAF on a flight departing from Chicago to Seoul Incheon. In February this year, the airline also started using SAF on flights from Paris to Seoul Incheon. Last year, the airline partnered with Hyundai Oilbank and SK Energy, to adopt SAF and carbon-neutral jet fuel, respectively. In February this year, Korean Air also signed a MoU with Incheon International Airport Corporation, Airbus, and Air Liquide to cooperate on supplying aviation hydrogen fuel and developing relevant infrastructure in South Korea.

Portugal's government plans to return flag carrier TAP to private ownership next year, prime minster Antonio Costa has reportedly told parliament. Local newspaper Renascenca quotes Costa as saying, on 29 September, in response to a question on whether the government intended to privatise TAP within the next 12 months: "I hope so. That is what is planned." He was then asked whether the government would make a loss on the transaction, to which he replied: "I hope not. I believe it can happen. I can't guarantee that it will be so, but I hope not." The carrier has struggled since the pandemic, reporting a loss of €202 million ($198 million) for the second quarter. The Portuguese government took full control of TAP amid the pandemic in 2020, and has since provided it with €2.55 billion in state aid.

The new Italian government led by prime minster Giorgia Meloni plans to move forward with the sale process for flag carrier ITA, having previously expressed doubt about the transaction. In an interview with online news service Affari Italiani, Maurizio Leo, an adviser to the new prime minister, says that any potential changes to the sale "are closed", implying that it will be pushed through as envisaged by the outgoing government. "Now we need to find the financial resources, we need flows to make it work," he adds. The previous Italian administration last month selected US-based investment fund Certares as the sole bidder for negotiations on a majority stake in the company. "The hope is that Certares will also accompany the interventions with an industrial plan," adds Leo. "Meanwhile, the state will have to put €400 million [$385 million], while the fund will have to put another €350 million. With this injection of finance, we need a serious project." The bid by Certares is being launched in conjunction with Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM. The latter European group expressed an interest in taking a stake in the carrier over the "medium term". Although ITA has refused to be drawn on the sale process, it has said it sees its future embedded within the SkyTeam alliance, which includes Delta and Air France-KLM. ITA signed an initial one-year agreement with SkyTeam on joining last year, an unusual move as alliances normally insist on long-term agreements. ITA was launched as a successor to former flag carrier Alitalia in October 2021, having taken on much of its fleet, staff, branding and other assets.