Latvian flag carrier Air Baltic has upsized its €340 million ($360 million) bond issuance by an additional €40 million. The notes, which are due to mature in 2029, carry a coupon of 14.5%. Air Baltic says the issuance aligns with its strategic financial plan, enabling it to "strengthen its financial position and provide financial flexibility as the company advances its growth ambitions" and moves towards a potential initial public offering. The Riga-based airline has declined to provide further details of the bond issuance. Settlement of the bonds is scheduled to take place on 24 October, and the bonds will be listed on the Euronext Dublin stock exchange.

The US Department of Transportation has issued a $4 million penalty against German carrier Lufthansa for violating the civil rights of 128 Jewish passengers by prohibiting them from boarding a May 2022 connecting flight from Frankfurt to Budapest. The DOT says it received more than 40 discrimination complaints from Jewish passengers who were ticketed to fly in May 2022 from New York JFK to Budapest, with a stop in Frankfurt. It adds: "Based on the alleged misconduct of some passengers, Lufthansa prohibited 128 Jewish passengers – most of whom wore distinctive garb typically worn by Orthodox Jewish men – from boarding their connecting flight in Germany. Despite many of the passengers not knowing each other nor traveling together, passengers interviewed by DOT investigators stated that Lufthansa treated them all as if they were a single group and denied them boarding for the alleged misbehaviour of a few." A hold was placed on more than 100 passengers' tickets with a final destination of Budapest, preventing them from boarding the next scheduled flight leaving Frankfurt. All of those passengers were Jewish, the DOT says. "No one should face discrimination when they travel, and [this] action sends a clear message to the airline industry that we are prepared to investigate and take action whenever passengers' civil rights are violated," states US Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg. The DOT notes that the penalty is the largest it has ever issued against an airline for civil-rights violations. Lufthansa says that it has "fully co-operated" with the DOT during its review process following the May 2022 incident. "We remain focused on the many efforts which have been initiated including, partnering with American Jewish Committee, a highly respected and globally recognised advocacy organisation and thought leader," the carrier says. It adds: "Through our ongoing collaboration, we have curated a first-of-its kind training programme in the airline industry for our managers and employees to address antisemitism and discrimination... As the first airline to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, Lufthansa will continue to foster a thoughtful dialogue with Jewish communities and organisations around the world."

Airbus's Defence and Space division expects to cut up to 2,500 jobs through mid-2026 in a bid to improve its competitiveness. The Munich-based unit notes that its space systems segment in 2023 and 2024 recorded "significant financial charges". "In recent years, the defence and space sector and, thus, our division have been impacted by a fast-changing and very challenging business context with disrupted supply chains, rapid changes in warfare and increasing cost pressure due to budgetary constraints," states Airbus Defence and Space chief executive Mike Schoellhorn. "We want to shape the division so it can act as a leading and competitive player in this ever-evolving market." It is not clear if the workforce reduction in the Defence and Space division will have any impact on the company's commercial aircraft unit.