Vietnam Airlines and Garuda Indonesia have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at increasing their cooperation through expanded codeshares and joint marketing campaigns. Under the deal, both airlines will also explore coordinating services such as aircraft leasing, ground services, technical maintenance and cargo operations, the Vietnamese carrier says. "This partnership not only strengthens the position of both national carriers but also facilitates the provision of high-quality services for our passengers traveling between Vietnam and Indonesia," says Vietnam Airlines' president and chief executive Le Hong Ha. Garuda chief executive Irfan Setiaputra says that the partnership will strengthen connectivity across the Southeast Asian region. "By leveraging our combined networks, this partnership will allow passengers more seamless access to key destinations across Indonesia, Vietnam, and beyond, fostering greater tourism, trade, and cultural exchange. This partnership will not only enhance connectivity but also reinforce both airlines' positions in the global aviation market," he adds. Schedules data shows that Garuda places its code on Vietnam Airlines' services from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore, as well as its nonstop services from Ho Chi Minh to Jakarta. Vietnam Airlines, meanwhile, places its code on Garuda-operated services from Singapore to Surabaya, Jakarta and Denpasar, and on selected domestic services.

British Airways has been forced to cut services because of delivery delays in the return of engines from maintenance by Rolls-Royce, particularly for Trent 1000 equipment that powers its Boeing 787s. BA moved forward with cancellations because “we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly”, it states, and is seeking to give certainty to passengers. “We continue to work closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure the company is aware of the impact its issues are having on our schedule and customers, and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution,” it adds. The airline has not provided further details of the nature of the network disruption it has suffered. A Rolls-Royce spokesperson said the delays were the result of “industry-wide issue” with supply chains, and that it has taken “a number of initiatives to reduce the impact on our customers.” As part of this, the company has this year increased its Trent 1000 supply chain by a third, making more components available and reducing the time that engines spend in MRO centres.

Lufthansa Group has extended its suspension of Tel Aviv flights through 10 November, affecting Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo and SWISS. Group company Eurowings will further extend the suspension of its services to Tel Aviv through 30 November.