British Airways has been forced to cut services because of delivery delays in the return of engines from maintenance by Rolls-Royce, particularly for Trent 1000 equipment that powers its Boeing 787s. BA moved forward with cancellations because “we do not believe the issue will be solved quickly”, it states, and is seeking to give certainty to passengers. “We continue to work closely with Rolls-Royce to ensure the company is aware of the impact its issues are having on our schedule and customers, and seek reassurance of a prompt and reliable solution,” it adds. The airline has not provided further details of the nature of the network disruption it has suffered. A Rolls-Royce spokesperson said the delays were the result of “industry-wide issue” with supply chains, and that it has taken “a number of initiatives to reduce the impact on our customers.” As part of this, the company has this year increased its Trent 1000 supply chain by a third, making more components available and reducing the time that engines spend in MRO centres.

Lufthansa Group has extended its suspension of Tel Aviv flights through 10 November, affecting Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa Cargo and SWISS. Group company Eurowings will further extend the suspension of its services to Tel Aviv through 30 November.

Cathay Pacific has introduced new business and premium economy seats for its Boeing 777-300ER fleet. The aircraft's standard coach sections will be refreshed as part of the cabin upgrade, the Oneworld carrier says. It adds that the first retrofitted aircraft was deployed on the Hong Kong-Beijing route on 18 October and that the new interior will be gradually rolled out to other aircraft. Fleets data shows that Cathay has 37 777-300ERs and 17 first-generation 777-300s. Its fleet additionally includes Airbus 48 A350s, 43 A330ceos, 15 A320-family jets and 20 747 freighters. The carrier's backlog comprises orders for 21 777-9s, 30 A330-900s, 33 A320neo-family jets and 6 A350Fs. Cathay notes that the 777-300ER cabin upgrade is part of a HK$100 billion ($12.9 billion) investment program until 2031. "First, we are launching our all-new business and premium economy cabins, and a refreshed economy cabin on our retrofitted 777-300ER," states commercial chief Lavinia Lau. "These will be followed by a new world-leading first-class experience onboard our 777-9s, and a brand-new flat-bed business class product on our Airbus A330s."