Following the lifting of the 737 Max's grounding, Icelandair has resumed commercial flights using the Boeing narrowbody after a nearly two-year break. Icelandair says the airline carried out its first flight with a Max aircraft since March 2019 on a route from Reykjavik to the Danish capital Copenhagen. European authorities cleared the Max for a return to service in late January. Icelandair joins TUIfly Belgium and Czech carrier Smartwings among European carriers to so far restore flights with the aircraft, while Polish carrier LOT carried out a repositioning flight for the first of its Max jets on 4 March ahead of planned return to service. The Icelandic carrier was operating a fleet of four Max aircraft at the time of the grounding.

American Airlines has agreed a deal in principle with logistics provider Kuehne+Nagel to deploy 3 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The Fort Worth-based airline says this volume of SAF is enough to enable a Boeing 787-9 passenger aircraft to fly carbon neutral around the world 25 times. American, which aims to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, started taking delivery of SAF at San Francisco International airport during summer 2020. The carrier has committed to using 9 million gallons of SAF over the next three years.

Lufthansa is expanding its joint product with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn as it looks to improve connectivity and reduce emissions. Under the agreement, Lufthansa Express Rail will connect five new cities to Frankfurt airport in the second half of 2021, allowing seamless 'train to flight' services. "With this joint initiative, we are strengthening the offer of mobility in Germany, thus bolstering the local economy," states Lufthansa executive board member Harry Hohmeister. "By intelligently linking rail and air transport, we offer our customers a seamless and convenient travel network, benefiting consumers and the environment." From July, the service will connect Frankfurt airport to Hamburg and Munich, to be followed by Berlin, Bremen and Munster in December. In addition, Lufthansa Express Rail is introducing faster rail connections across much of its network. Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa already offer 134 daily feeder trains to Frankfurt airport from 17 German cities via Lufthansa Express Rail. The system allows automatic rebooking on the next available flight or train in the case of delays. Speaking during a results call on 8 March, Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said the group was looking to deepen its product offering with Deutsche Bahn in order to reduce its environmental impact. Last year, the German government began a programme of airfare surcharges in order to discourage short-haul flights, while reducing VAT on rail tickets in a bid to encourage more environmentally friendly behaviour.