Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department on 21 January published a directive lifting its flight ban on Boeing 737 Max aircraft, allowing airlines to resume flights to airports in Hong Kong's airspace. The move may not immediately impact air traffic, however, as the Hong Kong government maintains a strict quarantine policy on international arrivals in support of its Covid-19 elimination policy. Furthermore, there are no airlines based in Hong Kong that operate Max jets or have them on order, the regulator's directive enables carriers to resume flying Max jets through Hong Kong International airport. Affected carriers with routes to Hong Kong include India-based Spicejet, which has 11 Max 8 jets in service; Singapore Airlines, which operates eight Max 8s; and Fiji Airways, which has five Max 8s in service. Each of those carriers is based in nations that have lifted flight bans on Max jets, which were first imposed in March 2020 following two fatal crashes. The Hong Kong regulator states that operators of Max aircraft must carry a valid certificate of airworthiness and make design changes equivalent to those ordered by the US Federal Aviation Administration, which in November 2020 lifted the US flight ban on Max jets. The government of mainland China has not yet lifted its flight ban on Max aircraft. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on 2 December published a directive allowing fixes to Max automated flight controls that contributed to two fatal crashes. Modifications including software fixes will be made to Max aircraft in China, but the CAAC may require additional steps before giving final approval for those jets to return to China's airspace. Boeing says that an estimated one third of the Max aircraft it has in storage are awaiting deliveries to China. Operators in the country grounded 97 Max jets in March 2019. That represents 66% of all Max aircraft in storage worldwide.

The European Commission on 18 January approved a €20 million ($22.7 million) aid scheme for the Reunion Island-based carrier Air Austral to help the airline secure its cash flow and prepare for the future. This support comes from the French government for Air Austral, says the airline, which has been greatly affected by the ongoing pandemic and its consequences. The aid is in addition to previous shareholder loan grants from the regional council for Air Austral. The airline has also been devising a restructuring plan for several weeks now. The plan, which will be set in action within the next six months, will guarantee long-term business continuity and job security, the airline says.

Collins Aerospace has expanded MRO services in Malaysia to serve the growing ATR fleets in Asia-Pacific. IATA III operators of ATR 42 and ATR 72 turboprops will have access to a local pool of rotable spares and MRO services for Collins 568F six-blade propeller from 2022, the Raytheon Technologies-owned subsidiary says in a 20 January release. Initially, the exchange programme will be supported by local operations to assess hardware preservation and condition, while the repairs and major inspections will be supported by Collins’ existing MRO centres in Europe. Collins says its 568F propeller is currently flying in over 100 countries on more than 900 aircraft comprising the global fleet of ATR 42/72 aircraft.