Finnair has temporarily grounded eight of its Airbus A321s, forcing the airline to cancel around 20 flights per day as it conducts additional safety inspections on the jets. The carrier says the suspension was prompted by information from an unnamed seat manufacturer indicating that the impact of its seat cover cleaning method – specifically water washing – on fire protection had not been fully verified. "Safety is always our top priority, and we always follow manufacturers’ maintenance instructions as well as the guidelines and recommendations of the authorities," Finnair states. Flight cancellations began on 13 October and have continued through 14 October as the airline works to minimise disruption for passengers. The airline did not specify how long the inspections will take or when the affected aircraft will return to service. Finnair has already been hit by a wave of cancellations this year stemming from industrial action by staff. This led to sharply lower profits for the second quarter, having axed 1,300 services in the period because of strikes by pilots in April and ground staff in May and June. Collective labour agreements signed with unions have since sharply reduced cancellations.

Alliance Airlines' founding managing director Scott McMillan will step down as joint managing director on 27 November, with chief executive Stewart Tully to assume the role of sole managing director. The carrier states that McMillan will remain "in an executive capacity until July 2026" to focus on key strategic projects. "It has been an incredible privilege to lead Alliance from its inception through to becoming a leading Australian aviation services provider," says McMillan, who co-founded the company in 2002 to purchase several assets from the defunct Flight West Airlines. Tully was appointed as chief executive just over a year ago, and in August was named joint managing director alongside McMillan. Prior to that, he was the chief operating officer of the company. "Stewart Tully is well respected in the aviation industry and well equipped to lead the company through this next important chapter in its development," says chairman James Jackson.

Boeing has for the first time used the digital version of the US Federal Aviation Administration's 8130-2 authentication certificate in shipping a part. The part in question – a battery served at Boeing's product repair services centre in Davie, Florida – was shipped to a Southwest Airlines facility in Dallas. Boeing notes that the electronic form was transmitted via Aeroxchange's eARC platform. "Together with Southwest Airlines and Aeroxchange, we are transforming how the industry ensures part authenticity and supply-chain security," states William Ampofo, senior vice-president of parts and distribution and supply chain at Boeing Global Services. Southwest senior vice-president, technical operations Landon Nitschke foresees that the electronic forms will "be of significant benefit in the aviation industry". Boeing says that it will roll out the digital 8130 certificate across all nine of its product repair services centres as each location receives FAA authorisation to use electronic systems for record-keeping, electronic signatures and electronic manuals.