South African Airways has confirmed that the amended business rescue plan of its low-cost subsidiary Mango has been approved for implementation at a meeting of creditors. The plan also paves the way for Mango to find an equity partner, the airline says in a 2 December statement. According to the business rescue practitioners, the process to secure a successful bidder, inclusive of concluding the relevant acquisition agreements, is anticipated to be completed by the end of March 2022. Mango suspended flying over outstanding payments to South African air traffic services provider ATNS in July. SAA placed the unit in business rescue and was in discussions with stakeholders over the process.

New Italian flag carrier ITA has firmed up its order with Airbus for 28 aircraft, including seven A220's, 11 A320neos and 10 A330neos. ITA had placed the tentative order in October, along with an agreement to lease 31 new Airbus aircraft from Air Lease Corporation. ALC will deliver 15 A220's, two A320neos, nine A321neos and five A330-900neos to the carrier between the second half of 2022 and early 2025. Airbus says in a 1 December statement that ITA will also pursue its plans to lease A350s. The carrier has said it intends to lease 56 new-generation aircraft over the course of its business plan. These comprise 13 long-haul aircraft, including the A350-900, and 43 narrowbodies. ITA launched operations on 15 October, succeeding Italy's former flag carrier Alitalia.

US major United Airlines is on 1 December operating a fully occupied flight from Chicago O'Hare to Washington National with one engine using 100% sustainable aviation fuel. The flight, which United describes as "unprecedented", is being conducted with a new Boeing 737 Max 8. It will use 500 gallons of SAF in one engine and the same amount of conventional jet fuel in the other. Airlines are permitted to use a maximum of 50% SAF on board, United says. The Star Alliance carrier intends to demonstrate that there are no operational differences between the two kinds of fuel. Boeing, CFM International, Marathon subsidiary Virent and SAF producer World Energy are United's partners in the demonstration flight. The airline's chief executive Scott Kirby states: "Today's SAF flight is not only a significant milestone for efforts to decarbonise our industry, but when combined with the surge in commitments to produce and purchase alternative fuels, we're demonstrating the scalable and impactful way companies can join together and play a role in addressing the biggest challenge of our lifetimes." Ihssane Mounir, Boeing's senior vice-president of sales and marketing, adds: "As an industry, we are committed to addressing climate change, and sustainable aviation fuels are the most measurable solution to reduce aviation carbon emissions in the coming decades." United declares itself the "world leader" in the development of SAF, asserting that it has agreements to purchase "nearly twice as much SAF as the known agreements of all other global airlines combined". The carrier has meanwhile disclosed the recruitment of 12 additional companies to its Eco-Skies Alliance, launched in April to accelerate SAF development and use. More than 30 companies now participate in the alliance, which United says has so far contributed toward the purchase of more than 7 million gallons of SAF in 2021.