Emirates has signed an interline agreement with South African carrier CemAir. The deal will enable Emirates' passengers to book onward domestic flights operated by CemAir from Johannesburg and Cape Town to Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Margate, Durban, Hoedspruit, Plettenberg Bay, George and Sishen. "As we continue our expansion during the post-Covid recovery period, we realise that now more than ever partnerships are key to our success," states CemAir chief executive Miles van der Molen. CemAir's air operator's certificate was restored in October 2019 after months of being grounded. The Johannesburg-based carrier operates a fleet of Bombardier CRJs and De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprops. Emirates increased its South African frequencies earlier this month, and is currently operating 14 flights a week to Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. The Dubai-based carrier also has interline and codeshare agreements in South Africa with South African Airways, Airlink and Flysafair.

Italian civil aviation regulator ENAC is to fine Wizz Air, Volotea and EasyJet for continuing to charge passengers to secure seats nearby to children and the disabled. ENAC notes that the airlines have not changed the computer and operating systems and "at the time of reservations continue to request a supplement to the cost of the air ticket for the allocation of seats close to the carers of minors and the disabled". The fines levied could range from €10,000 ($11,700) to a maximum of €50,000 for each individual dispute. Ryanair has already been censured by the body for the practice, and ENAC says it will continue its investigations into the Irish airline over the coming weeks. Investment firm Goodbody notes that the penalties represent a "reasonably small issue" for the carriers, given their small size. However, it notes that "the timing of this ahead of the October launch of Italia Trasporto Aereo (ITA), the slimmed-down version of Alitalia, may, of course, be merely coincidental".

Carriers across Europe are returning their aircraft back into operation as they bolster capacity across the continent. Data shows that the number of aircraft being flown by European operators has more than doubled since May, although it remains notably below pre-pandemic levels. On 1 May a seven-day average of just 2,249 aircraft were tracked in flight with European operators, but this had risen to 4,328 by 19 August. On the same day in 2019, 5,748 aircraft were tracked in service. However, the data does suggest that the number of aircraft being reintroduced to service has slowed, being mostly unchanged since the start of the month. This tallies with data on flight numbers and hours that show capacity has been steady, or even declined slightly, since the start of August. Data also underlines that it is the smaller aircraft types that are being reintroduced by airlines first, as short-haul traffic returns faster than long-haul, and as demand remains relatively weak. Of the top four most frequently operated aircraft since the start of 2020, Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737 aircraft have easily been utilised the most, as measured by flight numbers. Although the A320 has consistently been the most popular aircraft type in Europe throughout the crisis, utilisation of the 737 has now surpassed its level in early 2020 before the crisis hit. The most commonly used aircraft types after the A320 and B737 are Embraer E-Jets, followed by ATR family equipment, data shows.