VietJet plans to resume regular international flights from 1 January. The low-cost carrier will resume services from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to Tokyo Narita International airport, Seoul Incheon International airport, Taipei, Singapore and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International airport, it says in a statement today. For the first phase starting 1 January, VietJet will operate one round trip per week for each service, with frequencies to increase in line with travel demand and the government’s approval to ensure safe operations. In the next phase of service resumption, VietJet plans to resume its entire international network while looking to open new routes to destinations such as India and Russia. VietJet says it will use its Airbus A321 and A330 aircraft for the international services.

The EU has approved a combined €2.65 billion ($3 billion) in state aid provided to Portuguese flag carrier TAP to help it "return to viability". The European Commission, the bloc's executive body, on 21 December approved €2.55 billion in restructuring aid and €107 million in compensation for damages incurred as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic between 1 July and 30 December 2020. Support will be provided in the form of €2.55 billion in equity or quasi-equity measures, including the conversion of a €1.2 billion rescue loan into equity. As part of the package, TAP has agreed to safeguards designed to limit distortions of competition, such as making available 18 slots per day at Lisbon airport to give competing carriers the chance to expand and ensure fair prices. "The measures we approved today will enable Portugal to compensate TAP for damages directly suffered as a result of travel restrictions put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus," states Commission executive vice-president Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy. "At the same time, the approved restructuring plan for TAP will ensure the airline's path towards long-term viability." The decision to wave through state aid to the carrier followed an investigation to assess the impact of a restructuring plan submitted by Portugal. This includes a package of measures aimed at streamlining TAP's operations and reducing costs, including a split of businesses into the airlines TAP Air Portugal and Portugalia. It will also involve divestment of some non-core assets, namely TAP's Brazilian maintenance business plus catering and ground handling units. In addition, TAP "will be banned from any acquisitions and will reduce its fleet until the end of the restructuring plan, streamlining its network and adjusting to the latest forecasts that estimate demand not picking-up before 2023 because of the coronavirus pandemic", states the Commission. In November, the carrier recorded a net loss of €628 million for the nine months to end-September, narrowing one of €701 million in the same period of 2020.

The European Commission has approved the Latvian government's plans to invest €45 million ($51 million) into Air Baltic's equity in order to compensate for the economic damage it sustained due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The investment will be returned to the government in the form of proceeds from the planned initial public offering of the airline, Air Baltic’s chief executive Martin Gauss says. In August, the Latvian government, the majority shareholder of Air Baltic, approved plans to invest €90 million into the equity of the flag carrier. The remaining investment of €45 million is still subject to the approval of the European Commission, the executive branch of the EU. “The support of our majority shareholder to overcome the crisis reflects the recognition of the positive impact Air Baltic has on the economy,” Gauss adds. Air Baltic highlights that it is a "strategic facilitator" of the Latvian economy, responsible for more than 2.5% of the country’s GDP.