Ryanair has lost its bid to overturn a European court's dismissal of its complaint about approval of state aid for Finnair.
The European General Court in April 2021 rejected Ryanair's plea against Finland's granting of a €600 million ($633 million) loan guarantee to Finnair. The Irish budget carrier then brought an appeal to the European Court of Justice, arguing that the loan guarantee was an "unfair subsidy" that favoured Finnair over other EU-based carriers. But the Court of Justice of the European Union's General Court says in a 22 June statement that Ryanair's action "seeking annulment of the decision by the [European] Commission to approve aid granted by Finland to the airline Finnair is dismissed in its entirety". The court adds: "The Commission was entitled to approve the recapitalisation of Finnair, carried out by its public and private owners on a pro rata basis in proportion to the previously existing ownership structure, without initiating the formal investigation procedure." Ryanair has brought a number of appeals against state aid granted to EU-based carriers during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to Finnair, it has sought to overturn decisions to approve state aid for SAS and Air France. In May 2021, Ryanair's complaints against state aid approved for TAP Air Portugal and KLM resulted in an annulment by the General Court, although the effects of the annulment – including any recovery of the aid – were suspended. In the Finnair case, the General Court says that Ryanair has not provided "any conclusive evidence of the existence of doubts as to the compatibility of the measure at issue with the internal market with respect to the commission's assessment of Finnair's market power on the markets in question". Ryanair has the option of appealing the latest ruling.

Norwegian said on 22 June that the "various closing conditions" associated with its in-principle order for 50 Boeing 737 Max 8s have been met and that the order has been finalised. In May, the Norway-based carrier announced an agreement in principle for the purchase of 50 Max 8s with options for another 30 aircraft. Following the conclusion of the agreement, Norwegian estimates it will record a net gain of approximately NOK 2 billion ($202 million) in the second quarter of 2022, it says in a 22 June press release. It adds that Boeing and Norwegian have "filed to settle all outstanding legal disputes". “The agreement to purchase 50 brand-new and fuel-efficient aircraft constitutes a big leap forward in the strategy to solidify our market position in the Nordics,” says Geir Karlsen, chief executive of Norwegian. The 50 aircraft in the order are due to be delivered between 2025 and 2028, at a schedule "closely corresponding" to current aircraft lease expirations, Norwegian stated in a 30 May press release. The deal will lead to a "limited net increase" in the carrier's fleet. Norwegian said at that time that it intends to finance the outstanding balance of pre-delivery payments through positive cash flow from operating activities and that a "significant share" of the aircraft will be owned by the company, thus "ensuring an optimised and balanced aircraft financing structure".

Cathay Pacific Group plans to recruit over 8,000 staff by the end of 2023 to meet manpower needs ahead of an “anticipated recovery in Hong Kong and global aviation in this period”. The Hong Kong-based group advised that the recruitment is part of a “continual review of people requirements” for the next 18-24 months, given the lead time required for recruitment and training. Mainline carrier Cathay Pacific is looking to hire “more than 4,000 frontline staff” by end-2023 to meet operational needs. This comprises over 700 pilots, more than 2,000 cabin crew and over 1,000 customer service officers and contact agents. The remaining positions are with subsidiaries HK Express, Air Hong Kong, as well as in airport services, cargo terminal and catering services. The group resumed recruitment for pilots last summer, bringing onboard about 300 pilots for the group’s airlines, as well as cabin crew, including former staff it let go during a restructuring in 2020. This comes as the group is targeting to “more than double” its network by the end of 2022 from the 30 destinations at the start of the year, representing about half of the 119 destinations it flew at the end of 2019. As of June, the group has resumed flights to 45 destinations. The group states: “We are encouraged by the Hong Kong SAR government’s recent adjustments to travel restrictions and quarantine requirements, which will help facilitate the gradual resumption of travel activities and the strengthening of network connectivity to and from the Hong Kong hub. “We are working to help Hong Kong retain its status as a leading international aviation hub, ensuring the flow of people and goods between the city and the world,” it adds. Cathay confirms that about one-third of passenger aircraft are parked in locations outside of Hong Kong, similar to the level in its 2021 annual report, where about 37% remained parked as of the end of 2021. Data shows that the group has parked 96 aircraft out of its fleet of 226 passenger and freighter aircraft, or about 42%. All aircraft in storage are passenger aircraft, and they consist of 34 Airbus A320ceo/neo-family jets, 23 A330-300s, three A350-900s and 36 Boeing 777-300s. Cathay’s plans to ramp up operations come amid comments that Hong Kong risks losing its competitive edge as an aviation hub. Speaking at the IATA AGM in Doha, IATA director general Willie Walsh warned that Hong Kong faces rising competitive pressure from regional rivals as it remains largely closed due to its strict Covid policies. He notes that Hong Kong’s closure is damaging structural demand at its airport and threatening its position as a hub. Traffic figures for May indicate that Hong Kong International airport handled 170,000 passengers, a figure up 186% year on year but significantly below pre-pandemic levels.