Belarus has threatened countermeasures against airlines based in the European Union and UK, in response to proposed Western sanctions on the state linked to an ongoing stand-off over migration into the EU. "In response to the illegitimate restrictions on the Belarusian aviation industry, which are based on unfair competition, our country will take similar steps in relation to air carriers from the European Union and the United Kingdom," says the Belarusian foreign ministry in a 6 December statement. The threat follows the imposition earlier this month by European regulators of sanctions on an additional 17 individuals and 11 entities in Belarus, including Minsk-based airline Belavia. The carrier has said that the new restrictions have forced it to reduce its fleet to 15 aircraft, and to look at leasing aircraft from lessors based outside the EU. The US Department of the Treasury also announced on 2 December that it was designating 20 Belarusian individuals and 12 entities, and identifying three aircraft, as "blocked property". The Treasury said at the time: "This action is being taken in co-ordination with the EU, the UK and Canada, and reflects the United States' commitment to acting with its allies and partners to demonstrate a broad unity of purpose." Western lessors with exposure to Belavia include AerCap, Nordic Aviation Capital and Air Lease Corporation. SMBC Aviation Capital is understood to have terminated the lease for one Boeing 737 that it had placed with Belavia. The European Commission in November proposed the introduction of powers to blacklist Belarusian transport operators found to be involved in people trafficking or smuggling into the bloc. In its countermeasure decree, which the Belarusian government says will be signed "as soon as possible", the state says it has added "more people from the countries that systematically discriminate" against Belarus to its own travel blacklist. It says it will "strengthen economic integration with the Russian Federation, as well as build strong trade and economic ties with the EAEU [Eurasian Economic Union] and other partners". Belarus says its countermeasures are "reciprocal in nature", and "can be cancelled if the counterparties abandon the broken logic of the Cold War and return to constructive co-operation".

EasyJet has welcomed the development of a conceptual liquid hydrogen-powered midsize aircraft by the UK's government-backed FlyZero project, and says it sees aircraft powered in this way as "playing an important role in its decarbonisation pathway". The UK's Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) revealed on 6 December that a team of researchers involved in the FlyZero programme had developed a concept green hydrogen-powered aircraft with a range of 5,250nm (9,723km) which they say would be capable of carrying up to 279 passengers and could be operational from the mid-2030's. Further details about the concept are expected to be announced early next year. "FlyZero's concept aircraft demonstrates the huge potential of green liquid hydrogen for aviation, including larger-gauge aircraft, and I'm very excited to see where we go from here," states EasyJet director of flight operations David Morgan, who sits of ATI's advisory board. "EasyJet is closely involved in the work of the Aerospace Technology Institute and its FlyZero project, and we look forward to continuous collaboration to make zero-carbon emission flights a reality as soon as possible." The UK-based low-cost carrier says it has also seconded one of its pilots, Debbie Thomas, to the FlyZero project. EasyJet is among 100 aerospace and aviation companies that have seconded employees to help with the project. Other participants include Airbus, Rolls-Royce, GKN Aerospace, GE Aviation and Spirit AeroSystems. FlyZero project director Chris Gear advised that while "the concepts created by FlyZero are intended as a means to investigate the technologies required to realise zero-carbon emission flight", the project's findings are "intended to help the UK aerospace sector and its supply chain capitalise on the opportunities a new generation of aircraft will bring". Airbus last year unveiled three conceptual aircraft designs of its own that would use hydrogen as the main power source. The European manufacturer expects its 'ZEROe' aircraft concepts to enter service within 15 years. Its US rival Boeing, however, has expressed doubts that hydrogen-powered aircraft will be viable in the near future, and has said that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) will play a key role in the development of its next generation of single-aisle aircraft. FlyZero's Gear says: "It's true that there are big challenges requiring significant investment before liquid hydrogen-powered flight of this scale becomes a reality. However, overcoming these brings real opportunities for securing jobs and growth."

Australia’s Qantas today relaunched flights to Delhi from Sydney, marking its first commercial flight to India in almost a decade. Qantas is operating three weekly return flights from Sydney to Delhi, which will be increased in January, as well as four weekly return flights from Melbourne starting from 22 December. The carrier says this is the first time it has operated a commercial service to India since the end of its Brisbane-Mumbai service in 2012, and is also its first regular passenger flight from Australia to Delhi since 1974. Qantas domestic and international chief executive Andrew David says that demand for flights between Australia and India has "surpassed the airline’s expectations". The airline says that all passengers on its international flights are required to be fully vaccinated, unless they are under 12 years of age or are 12-17 year olds travelling to Australia with their family or guardian or have an exemption. Over the past 12 months, Qantas says it operated more than 60 repatriation flights on behalf of the federal government flights to bring Australians home from India.