Taiwan's China Airlines has placed an order with Boeing for 16 787-9 aircraft, to replace its Airbus A330-300 fleet. The carrier discloses in a 30 August notice to the Taiwan Stock Exchange that it has ordered the 16 widebodies "to replace [its] ageing fleet and to improve operating efficiency". China Airlines revealed earlier this year that it was "exploring" the possibility of replacing its A330-300 fleet. Data shows that the carrier has 22 A330-300s, four of which are listed as being in storage. Most of the aircraft are leased. Its widebody passenger fleet also includes 14 A350-900s and 10 777-300ERs.

Ryanair will not seek to hedge more than 50% of its fuel needs in 2024 on the likelihood that setbacks for the Russians in their invasion of Ukraine and a looming global recession will push down future oil prices, its group chief executive Michael O' Leary has disclosed. Speaking during a media event in London on 30 August, O'Leary suggests that the oil price could "collapse" in the coming months if there are indications of a resolution in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while possible recessions in China, Europe and the US could dampen demand for oil. Alternatively, negative news relating to the Ukraine conflict could still lead to fuel prices rising again during this winter, he adds. The Irish carrier is currently hedged at 90% up to March 2023 at $64 per barrel and approximately 40% hedged to March 2024 at between $92 - $93 per barrel, O'Leary states. He says he "wouldn’t want to go much more than this". "I think we will probably try to hedge up to about 50% of FY 24 at $90 to $92 dollars a barrel. I don’t think we want to hedge anymore because I think there is an equal chance into the summer of 2023 that oil prices might fall," he says. While Ryanair was very minded to hedge up to 90% "coming out of Covid", he wouldn't be keen to replicate this position for 2024 because "the risk is you get it wrong on both sides, you might be too high". But O'Leary does describe fuel as a "significant challenge" for Ryanair, although the carrier is in a better position than its unhedged rivals, he adds.

Lufthansa Cargo plans to induct into service its second Airbus A321P2F converted freighter in October to meet high demand from the ecommerce and same-day segments. The twin-engine aircraft, with registration D-AEUA, will be based at the Frankfurt hub and operated by Lufthansa's regional subsidiary CityLine under a wet lease agreement, the German carrier says. The narrowbody is currently undergoing conversion in Singapore and will feature designs identical to the first A321P2F which entered into service in March, it notes. With the addition of this medium-haul freighter, the airline will expand its European network to new destinations including Madrid, Birmingham and London. It currently serves Istanbul in Turkey; Tel Aviv in Israel; Malta; Tunis in Tunisia; Dublin in Ireland; Manchester in the UK; and Cairo in Egypt. Lufthansa Cargo's chief commercial officer Ashwin Bhat states: "Complementing our B777F and belly capacity, we can now offer even shorter transport times within European and to selected medium-haul destinations. To the UK and Ireland, for example, we will offer daily weekday flights to Birmingham and Dublin, enabling our customers to build reliable, scalable and fast supply-chains." The carrier expects to introduce two additional A321 freighters in the first half of 2023.