Turboprop manufacturer ATR expects its installed fleet in Japan to grow more than sixfold in coming years. "We see 100 ATR aircraft flying in Japan in a few years," states chief executive Stefano Bortoli. "Most of the new ATRs will replace older, less efficient models, and will connect islands and remote regions with the country's major cities." Some 15 ATRs are currently in operation with Japanese carriers. The first aircraft was delivered in 2015. Data shows that a total of 65 regional turboprops are in service in Japan. Beyond the ATRs, the fleet includes 29 De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s, three Dash 8-200s, one Dash 8-300, seven Dornier 228s and two Viking Air DHC 6-400 Twin Otters. ANA Wings is the largest Dash 8-400 operator with 24 aircraft aged between four and 20 years. Japan Airlines subsidiary Ryukyu Air Commuter has five 5 Dash 8-400s aged four to six years. JAL Group is an ATR operator already. Nagasaki-based Oriental Air Bridge, which operates under the ORC brand, has three Dash 8-200s aged between 20 and 23 years, and will begin operating ATRs "soon". The single, 15-year-old Dash 8-300 is operated by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. Japan's regional turboprop fleet additionally includes six domestically built NAMC YS-11s used by the nation's air force. These aircraft are aged 51-54 years. Two Saab 340Bs aged 28 years are in service with the country's coast guard. ATR shareholder Leonardo offers a maritime patrol version of the ATR 72-600. The Italian aerospace group jointly owns ATR with Airbus. Japan Air Commuter, in which JAL Group has a 60% shareholding, is the nation's largest ATR operator, with nine ATR 42-600s and two ATR 72-600s. The oldest of those aircraft is five years old. The latest, an ATR 42-600, joined the fleet in May. JAC holds options for another 14 ATR 42-600s. Hokkaido Air System, also majority-owned by JAL Group, has three ATR 42-600s. The latest joined its fleet in September. The first was delivered in 2019. Amakusa Airlines – the first Japanese ATR operator – has a single ATR 42-600. In October 2021, Japanese domestic low-cost start-up Toki Air disclosed a lease deal with Nordic Aviation Capital for two new ATR 72-600s, to enter service in early 2022. The two turboprops (MSN 1565 and 1620) are listed as having been built in 2020. ATR says that Toki Air will soon start operating its on-order turboprops. At the Dubai air show in November 2021, ATR disclosed a letter-of-intent commitment from Toki Air for two aircraft of the ATR 42-600's in-development short take-off and landing (STOL) version. which is scheduled to be certificated in late 2024. The airframer's senior vice-president of commercial Fabrice Vautier says the STOL variant will open up additional order opportunities. "We will contribute to serving even smaller airports across the Japanese archipelago: there are 10 airports in Japan with short airstrips that provide vital links for those communities," he states. In May, the airframer said it had recorded 20 commitments from international airlines and lessors for the ATR 42-600S.

Members of the European Parliament have voted in favour of proposals to extend the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) to include all flights departing from the European Economic Area, and to integrate the non-CO2 effects of aviation into the scheme. The parliament also agreed to adopt a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) pricing scheme intended to bridge the price gap between SAFs and conventional jet fuel. Under the new plan, airlines would be granted CO2 allowances equivalent to the amount of CO2 saved by using SAF. Allowances will be double for use of synthetic or renewable fuels of non-biological origin. Industry group Airlines for Europe (A4E) has welcomed the SAF allowance scheme, noting that it will reduce the total cost of the proposed ReFuel EU SAF blending mandate. "For it to be successful, the SAF allowances system should increase overall SAF uptake across Europe and incentivise airlines to go beyond blending mandates, in turn reducing more CO2 emissions from the sector," says A4E. "It would also strengthen local SAF production across Europe and help Europe better compete with the US tax credit scheme of $1.50-2 per gallon." The EU ETS currently covers all flights within the EEA. The 8 June vote would extend the scheme to apply to all flights departing from Europe. A4A has warned that this could lead to a "double burden" on carriers because they may have to pay for the same emissions twice, both through the ETS and ICAO's Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). A4A is also critical of the European Parliament's decision to include obligations for aircraft operators on non-CO2 emissions, which include contrails. It says the decision is "premature" and argues that "further scientific and legal analyses are still needed on the exact impacts of non-CO2 emissions from aviation and how best to address them". The trade body says it is also "extremely concerned" about the parliament's decision to phase out airlines' free carbon allowances by 2025 instead of the previously-proposed 2027. The lobby group wants the free allowances to be phased out by 2030 instead. But Brussels-based Transport & Environment has welcomed the European Parliament's decisions on aviation. "Europe's lawmakers have sent a clear signal. The bulk of Europe's aviation emissions will no longer be ignored, marking a major step forward in tackling heavily polluting long-haul flights," states T&E aviation director Jo Ardenne. "It's now up to national governments to make this a reality." The European Parliament has yet to reach agreement on other elements of the EU's 'Fit for 55' programme, which aims to reduce the bloc's carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. This means that final negotiations between the parliament and the European Council are subject to a delay.

Wizz Air and Airbus are collaborating to explore the potential of operating hydrogen-powered aircraft. The two parties have signed a memorandum of understanding under which Wizz will identify both the operational and infrastructure opportunities and the challenges presented by the technology, says the airline. It expects the study to yield "a much deeper understanding of how operating a zero-emission hydrogen aircraft could positively impact the airline's future business model". A focus of research will be the impact of hydrogen aircraft on Wizz's fleet, network, scheduling, ground bases and airports, taking into account specific aircraft characteristics such as achievable range and refuelling time. Additionally, the airline and Airbus intend to study "evolution of the global hydrogen ecosystem from the perspectives of society, regulation, energy pricing and hydrogen infrastructure". Citing the airline's central objective "to make travel affordable for all", Wizz chief people and ESG officer Johan Eidhagen states: "We believe that growth and sustainability are not mutually exclusive, with leading-edge new technology paving the way to more sustainable air travel. This momentous agreement with Airbus will advance sustainable aviation across the globe through development of ultra-efficient operations and business models of the future." Wizz notes that its backlog with Airbus spans orders and purchase rights for more than 400 narrowbodies. Fleet data shows the airline has a total 154 Airbus narrowbodies – including six listed as being in storage – plus a single A330 Freighter that is operated on behalf of the Hungarian government. Airbus vice-president zero-emission aircraft Glenn Llewellyn says that collaboration with airlines is central to the airframer's planned development of a hydrogen-powered passenger aircraft for service entry in 2035. "Understanding airline fleet and network performance enables us to better define the architectural characteristics for a future ZEROe aircraft as well as the impact on airports, ground support and route network," he adds. The airframer is collaborating with a number of airlines and other partners for the programme, including Air New Zealand, Delta Air Lines, EasyJet and Korean Air.