India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation has proposed to relax regulations on carriers to wet-lease aircraft by removing a rule that limits this option to emergency situations only. Under the proposed draft, "only" has been amended to "normally" for the conditions of wet-lease arrangements. In effect, these changes "Wet/Damp Lease (In) shall be permitted only by the scheduled airlines to cover any emergent situation" to "Wet/Damp Lease (In) shall normally be permitted by the scheduled airlines to cover any emergent situation". (italics added for emphasis) These emergent situations include unexpected AOGs, unscheduled maintenance or checks and any other "unforeseen circumstances", details the draft. It also proposes giving the aviation regulator a "one-time basis" discretion to allow the wet-lease of an aircraft. For now, wet-leasing requires a lessor's state to have an ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme Effective Implementation (EI) score of 80% or more. The programme measures the effectiveness of a country's safety oversight system. The DGCA is inviting comments for the proposed amendments until 28 October. The relaxation of rules would make it easier for carriers to increase capacity during peak seasons without having to fulfil the "emergent situation" requirement. IndiGo and SpiceJet, in particular, have been notable users of wet-leased capacity in India. SpiceJet has stated that it plans to wet-lease 18 Boeing 737s and one Airbus A340 for the northern winter scheduling season that starts in late October.

A flight attendant was injured when two Delta Connection aircraft operated by Endeavor Air collided at low speed while taxiing at New York's LaGuardia airport on 1 October. Delta advised that the injury to the Endeavor flight attendant was "minor". The US Federal Aviation Administration notes that at around 22:00 local time, an MHIRJ CRJ900 (operating flight 5047) was taxiing inbound to its gate at LaGuardia when it struck another CRJ900 (operating flight 5155). Delta says flight 5155 was taxiing for departure from LaGuardia to Roanoke in Virginia. There were two pilots, two flight attendants and 28 customers on board. Flight 5047 – with two pilots, two flight attendants and 57 customers aboard – was taxiing to its arrival gate from Charlotte, North Carolina. "Preliminary information indicates contact by the wing of the departing aircraft was made with the fuselage of the arriving aircraft," Delta says. It pledges to "fully co-operate with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the FAA, NTSB and others to review what occurred". The collision at LaGuardia coincided with the temporary shutdown of the US federal government, after the US House of Representatives failed to approve bill HR 5371, which would have provided continuing full-year appropriations for federal agencies. Cirium asked the FAA if the temporary shutdown of the federal government would affect air traffic control staffing. In response, a US Department of Transportation spokesperson told Cirium that "President Trump and [Transportation] secretary Sean Duffy are ushering in a golden age of transportation – now is not the time for a reckless government shutdown. "But thanks to [Senate minority leader] Chuck Schumer and [House minority leader] Hakeem Jeffries holding the federal government hostage, our work to rebuild America's ageing infrastructure will stall. This shutdown will hurt the efficiency of air travel – all so radical Democrats can give illegal immigrants benefits."

Lufthansa could face strike action after pilot union Vereinigung Cockpit announced that a majority of its members had voted in favour of industrial action over a pension dispute. In a ballot launched on 12 September, 96% of Lufthansa pilots voted for industrial action, on a turnout of 90%, says VC. No strike date has been set, but the union sees the vote as representing a "strong signal" that members are willing to pursue their demands, having "clearly" backed their collective bargaining committee. Lufthansa chief legal officer Michael Niggemann states that the airline group has taken note of the vote, adding that the union has expressed a desire to resume negotiations. "We welcome this, as viable solutions can only be found at the negotiating table," he adds. "The ballot has not increased the scope for manoeuvre, so the focus must remain on finding answers that are compatible with the economic performance of Lufthansa Classic." VC launched the ballot when talks with Lufthansa failed after seven negotiation rounds. The union cites massive differences regarding the company pension plan. "We now expect Lufthansa to take the signals from its workforce seriously and finally present a negotiable offer for company pension provision," states Arne Karstens on behalf of VC's bargaining committee. The threat of strike action adds to a series of labour and cost challenges for Lufthansa, which recently unveiled plans to cut 4,000 administrative roles by 2030 and set new profitability targets.