One of the defence lawyers for the Alaska Airlines pilot accused of trying to shut down the engines of an in-flight Horizon Air aircraft has said his client needs help and that the airline industry needs to change. "The question of fault is a complicated question to answer. Is he criminally responsible? No. Does he need help? Yes. Does there need to be change in the airline industry? Yes, absolutely," said Noah Horst, an attorney at Levi Merrithew Horst. In the soundbite interview with Horst published to YouTube by Portland-based TV station KOIN 6, he did not elaborate on what change there needs to be in the airline industry. On 7 December, Emerson was released from custody on $50,000 bail and permitted to reside at his home in California, according to a court document. As part of his bail conditions, he is not allowed to possess any "controlled substances and/or intoxicants including alcohol without a valid prescription" and must submit to testing for intoxicants. He must also "engage in mental health services" and provide evidence of attendance. Further, he must have no contact with or be within 30ft of any operable aircraft. Consequently, he will have to make the more than 600 mile journey home to Pleasant Hill, California, by land. Earlier this week, a Multnomah County grand jury indicted Emerson on 83 counts of recklessly endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft. The grand jury declined to indict Emerson on the 83 counts of attempted murder sought by the state of Oregon. Emerson, who had been suffering from depression, "thought he was in a dream" when he attempted to shut down the engines of the Embraer 175, after which the crew diverted from the intended destination of San Francisco to Portland. He was arrested there after the pilots managed to subdue him and he spent some time restrained at the back of the aircraft being looked after by cabin crew. The accused has admitted to taking psychedelic mushrooms two days before the flight, during which he was a jump-seat passenger and not in control of the aircraft. After taking the mushrooms, he said, he could not distinguish between being in reality and a dream for five days afterwards. Emerson refrained from seeing a doctor to obtain medication for depression as his research told him it could lead to his being grounded from flying. The day after Emerson's state indictment, the US Federal Aviation Administration's administrator Mike Whitaker announced that his agency had officially established a Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Rulemaking Committee. That announcement followed a 9 November announcement that the FAA was planning to set up the committee "to provide recommendations on breaking down the barriers that prevent pilots from reporting mental-health issues to the agency". The FAA previously saidthat while the Emerson incident "resulted in increased public attention [around pilot mental health], the FAA has taken a number of recent steps to foster greater openness about pilot mental health". "The rulemaking committee is a natural extension of those efforts," it said at the time. Among the new FAA rulemaking commitee's tasks will be to identify "factors that prevent individuals who hold FAA medical certificates or clearance from reporting mental health issues". It will also "discuss and develop recommendations for mental health education programs for individuals who hold medical certificates or clearances that the FAA and the aviation industry could implement to improve awareness and recognition of mental health issues, reduce stigmas, and promote available resources to encourage voluntary self-disclosure in a confidential and protected environment, and assist with resolving mental health problems". According to the KOIN video posted to YouTube, Emerson's wife, Sarah Stretch, spoke to reporters about the rulemaking committee on 7 December, saying: "People in mental health situations in jobs that are in a sense silenced or its disincentivised to go and get help and care that they need." Emerson's next date in state court is 19 January 2024. He is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on 21 December.

The European Commission is set to rule on whether it will approve Korean Air's planned takeover of rival Asiana Airlines by 14 February 2024. The EC updated the provisional deadline for the ruling on its website, which followed a 5 December deadline for commitments by Korean Air to be submitted. In November, Korean Air chairman Walter Cho said that he was "very positive that we've done everything they've asked for and beyond" to get competition approval from the EC. The Commission had previously expressed concerns that the merger would reduce competition on passenger services between South Korea and France, Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as on cargo services more broadly between South Korea and Europe. To remedy the concerns about cargo competition, Asiana's board recently approved a plan to sell its cargo unit. Some potential bidders including Air Incheon have been approached about the planned sale, but the process will only commence once it is approved. Korean Air also needs to receive competition approval from the USA and Japan before it can effect the merger, which has already been cleared in several other jurisdictions.

TAAG Angola Airlines has appointed Nelson Pedro Rodrigues de Oliveira as its new chief executive, replacing Eduardo Fairen, who had led the carrier for the past two years as it rebuilt its operations post-pandemic. Rodrigues de Oliveira returns to TAAG from Angola's civil aviation authority, having previously spent 38 years with the airline, first in various technical roles before rising to senior management. Meanwhile, Antonio Dos Santos Domingos becomes TAAG's new chair, bringing 30 years of experience across Angola's corporate sector. He replaces Ana Francisca da Silva Major. "Our mission is to work with a spirit of mission, courage and selflessness so that TAAG can bring back the joy to Angolans and assert itself as a relevant flagship airline," states Dos Santos Domingos. The airline says the move, which was the outcome of an extraordinary general meeting, "responds to the need for a greater and more robust alignment of the airline's recovery process started in 2021 with the objectives of the government of Angola for the transport sector". Departing chief executive Fairen was originally brought in on a three-year contract to help remodel the carrier as it sought to increase its financial sustainability, with a particular focus on costs. This was against the backdrop of government plans to privatise the state-owned airline, although no firm plans or deadlines have yet been announced. Fairen comments in a LinkedIn post that under his leadership TAAG "successfully overcome hard challenges", including posting a profit for 2022 and indicating an expectation that it would do the same this year. He also highlights "significant cost reduction and increased revenue”, in addition to an increase in flight activity to exceed pre-pandemic levels, new codeshares, and a plan to revamp its fleet.