Air Tanzania has placed an order with Boeing for a 787-8, a 767-300 Freighter and two 737 Max jets. The deal, announced at the Dubai air show, had previously been listed on Boeing's orders and deliveries website but assigned to an unidentified customer. Air Tanzania will use the aircraft to expand into new markets across its home continent of Africa, Asia, and Europe, says Boeing. The Dar es Salaam-based flag carrier already has two 787-8s in service, data shows. It also operates four Airbus A220-300's and five De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400's. "Adding to our 787 fleet, the introduction of the 737 Max and 767 Freighter will give Air Tanzania exceptional capability and flexibility to meet passenger and cargo demand within Africa and beyond," states chief executive Ladislaus Matindi.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore will pilot the use of sustainable aviation fuel in partnership with Singapore Airlines and investment company Temasek. On 10 November, a request for proposals was called to invite select SAF producers and fuel suppliers to develop and execute plans to deliver blended SAF to the Changi airport, the authority says in a release. The pilot will commence in 2022 and is expected to run for a year. The pilot is a follow-up to an earlier study conducted by the Singapore government and industry players on the operational and commercial viability of using SAF at Changi airport. CAAS’ director-general Han Kok Juan states: “Sustainability will be a key priority of the aviation sector as it recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic and SAF will be a critical enabler in the sector’s decarbonisation efforts. The pilot which will incorporate the blending of neat SAF in local facilities, certification of blended SAF, and delivery to Changi airport is a significant step to operationally validate SAF integration options in Singapore. “It will provide insights on end-to-end cost components, potential pricing structures for cost recovery and support future policy considerations for SAF deployment.” Singapore Airlines’ senior vice-president corporate planning Lee Wen Fen states: “Sustainable fuels will be one of the key decarbonisation levers in the aviation sector, and we are pleased to partner CAAS and Temasek on this pilot in Singapore. “This will support the SIA Group’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, reinforcing our long-standing strategy of working towards decarbonisation and environmental sustainability across our operations.”

Indigo Partners and Airbus have announced an order for 255 Airbus A321neo aircraft at the Dubai airshow, to be distributed among the private equity firm's portfolio carriers. The move signals a vote of confidence in the medium-term recovery of airline passenger markets, with Indigo Partners managing partner Bill Franke telling journalists that the company takes an "optimistic view" of future demand and wants to be "early in the process" of fleet expansion. The order will see Budapest-based Wizz Air receive 102 aircraft, consisting of 75 A321neo and 27 A321XLR units; US airline Frontier will take 91 A321neos; Mexico's Volaris 39 A321neos, and Chilie's JetSMART 23 aircraft, made up of 21 A321neos and two A321XLR's. In addition, Volaris and JetSMART will upconvert orders for 38 A320neos to A321neos. The move means that Indigo Partners will hold orders for 1,145 A320-family aircraft, with Franke commenting that the latest deal does not replace any previous announcements. He adds that the four low-cost airlines in the company's portfolio have proven "very resilient" through Covid-19, and stand to grow heavily through the coming decade. "The delivery schedule that we negotiated with Airbus is consistent with our expectations with demand," he said. In a 14 November press release, he cites the "industry-leading efficiency, low unit costs and a substantially reduced carbon footprint relative to prior models", as contributing to the decision to reorder A321neo equipment. "With these aircraft, Wizz, Frontier, Volaris and JetSMART will continue to offer low fares, stimulate the markets they serve and improve their industry-leading sustainability profile." Airbus chief commercial officer Christian Scherer commented at the press event in Dubai that although some of the first aircraft would arrive in the next few years, the bulk would arrive in the second half of the decade. Asked whether the move would absorb the airframer's delivery spots, he responded that: "The short answer is yes, but we are very flexible with our customers". Also present was Wizz Air chief executive Jozsef Varadi, who noted that some of the 27 A321XLR aircraft that his carrier will receive will be placed with Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, with the carrier previously noting that seven billion people live within a seven-hour radius of the location – within the A321XLR's range. Wizz Air has a goal of achieving a fleet size of 500 aircraft by 2030, with Varadi noting that the latest order brings the airline close to achieving this. Airbus has additionally provided Wizz Air with 75 A321neo purchase rights for delivery in 2028-29, to be converted into a firm order by the end of 2022. As with previous orders, Wizz Air has the right to substitute a number of the A321neo aircraft with the A320neo and/or A321XLR aircraft and vice versa, depending on its future requirements.