The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has advised SpiceJet to restrict 90 of its pilots from operating Boeing 737 Max aircraft until they undergo retraining. SpiceJet says that the 90 pilots will “undergo training to the satisfaction of DGCA” but will “continue to remain available for other Boeing 737 aircraft”. The Times of India reported on 13 April that the DGCA had uncovered anomalies in simulator training for these pilots at a facility in Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Indian authorities have cleared the Max for operations to and from its airports since August 2021, after grounding the variant in March 2019 in the wake of two fatal accidents. In late November, SpiceJet resumed 737 Max operations, after reaching a settlement with Boeing over the Max grounding. Data indicates that SpiceJet currently operates 11 Max 8s and has two in storage. The airline stresses that DGCA’s restriction on the 90 pilots “does not impact the operations of the Max aircraft whatsoever” and maintains that trained pilot strength “is much more than the current requirement”. SpiceJet has trained 650 pilots on the Max, and the remaining 560 pilots “continue to remain available”. It requires 144 pilots to operate the 11 Max jets currently in service. Data shows SpiceJet also has a further 114 Max 8s on order and options for another 50, as well as orders for 20 Max 10s and options for 20. Other than SpiceJet, no other Indian carrier currently operates the Max, although start-up airline Akasa could potentially begin operating the type. In November, it placed orders for 72 737 Max aircraft, covering both the Max 8 and higher-capacity subvariant 737-8200.

Air France has unveiled a new carbon-dioxide emissions-reduction strategy which it says will cut the airline's total emissions 12% by 2030, compared with 2019, without the use of carbon-offsetting measures. The initiative, known as Air France ACT, aims to reduce CO2 emissions per passenger-kilometre 30% by 2030, versus 2019 levels. This equates to a 12% reduction in Air France's total emissions, which is double the reduction achieved between 2005 and 2019. The airline aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Air France says its strategy "excludes so-called offsetting actions to consider measures that exclusively reduce direct and indirect emissions". A slogan used by sister carrier KLM to promote its voluntary carbon-offsetting programme was recently found to be misleading by Dutch advertising watchdog Stichting Reclame Code, in a preliminary ruling. Air France has set out five mechanisms it will use to achieve its goal. These include fleet renewal with more fuel-efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A220 and A350, which the carrier says will make up 70% of its fleet by 2030 – up from 7% now. The airline also aims to increase its use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on flights departing from France from 1% to "at least" 10% by 2030, and to 63% in 2050. Eco-piloting techniques such as one-engine taxiing and optimised flight paths will be used to achieve additional emissions reductions, alongside the introduction of "a more responsible catering offer", which will make use of "local, seasonal produce whenever possible", says Air France. The carrier also plans to cultivate a "reinforced partnership" with French rail company SNCF, with the aim of developing an "intermodal transport" network and offering "low-carbon transport alternatives for short-distance journeys". Air France says it has launched a video campaign and a dedicated Air France ACT website, to explain its environmental strategy to the public.

Air Belgium plans to launch flights from Johannesburg and Cape Town in South Africa to Brussels in September. The two routes, which are subject to approval by the government authorities, will mark the first direct services to the Belgian capital from South Africa, the carrier says. These new direct connection “will give a much-needed boost for the tourism sector, and facilitate business and person-to-person contacts between our two countries, as well as between South Africa and the European institutions,” the airline adds.