Australian carrier Regional Express Holdings has exited administration as Air T formally takes control of the turboprop operator. Air T says the closed transaction includes a A$50 million ($33 million) credit facility "funded by one of our investor partners" which will help to bring the Rex operational fleet to 45 aircraft within two years. Cirium fleets data shows that Rex has 34 Saab 340Bs in service and 23 in storage. The airline will have access to a A$60 million loan from the Australian government to support fleet reactivation and general operations. "This financing arrangement reflects the collaborative approach taken by Air T, the Commonwealth of Australia, and other stakeholders to assure Rex thrives for the long-term and continues to service regional Australians," says Air T, adding: "A strong Rex is good for Australia." Rex's chief executive Neville Howell states that the acquisition is "not just the resolution of a challenging chapter, but the beginning of a revitalised one", citing its focus on connecting to regional destinations in Australia. The airline was placed into administration in July 2004 after incurring heavy losses from its expansion into capital-city jet services using Boeing 737-800s. Those operations ceased but Rex continued to operate regional services while in administration, with the support of the Australian government.

Embraer's air mobility subsidiary Eve completed a first flight of its eVTOL prototype on 19 December. The electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft conducted an uncrewed hover flight at the Brazilian airframer's test facility in Gaviao Peixoto, in the state of Sao Paulo, Embraer says. Designed to carry four passengers and a pilot, the aircraft features eight fixed lift propellers located forward and aft of a main wing and a separate pusher propeller at the tail. During the first sortie, "we exercised our control laws, verified the integration of the eight lifters and assessed energy management, the aircraft’s dynamic response and noise footprint," states Eve technology chief Luiz Valentini. "The prototype behaved as predicted by our models. With these data points, we will expand the envelope and progress toward transition to wingborne flight in a disciplined manner, ramping up to hundreds of flights throughout 2026 and building the knowledge required for type certification," he adds. Embraer has targets for certification and service-entry in 2027. It intends to build six conforming prototypes for the programme. Brazilian regulator ANAC will be its primary certification authority. Embraer highlights, however, that it will engage with other authorities including the US Federal Aviation Administration and European Union Aviation Safety Agency during the development. Eve chief executive Johann Bordais describes the first flight as a "historical milestone for our employees, customers, investors and the entire ecosystem". He says: "This flight validates our plan, which has been executed with precision to deliver the best solution for the market. We were able to capture high-fidelity data that will allow us to move forward with safety and confidence towards the certification path.

Mexican carriers Volaris and VivaAerobus have agreed to merge as "equals" under a single holding company while retaining their individual brands and operating certificates. The carriers say the merger – which is subject to regulatory approvals in Mexico and other jurisdictions where they operate, and to shareholder approval – will produce "economies of scale" for the holding company and further "democratise" for travellers in Mexico. At the deal's closing, VivaAerobus shareholders will receive newly issued shares in the Volaris Holding Company, and Volaris shareholders will continue to hold their shares. Each shareholder group will own 50% of the new airline group on a fully diluted basis, say the carriers. "We expect the formation of the new airline group will allow us to realise significant growth opportunities for air travel in Mexico, in line with the low-fare and point-to-point approach that revolutionised the industry over the last two decades," states Volaris chief executive Enrique Beltranena. VivaAerobus counterpart Juan Carlos Zuazua observes that both carriers "share a similar low-cost DNA and mindset", adding that they "have always believed in the importance of making travel more accessible for everyone". In December, Volaris is set to account for the largest share of Mexican domestic capacity (41% share), followed by VivaAerobus (39%) and Aeromexico (19%).