The UK's Competition & Markets Authority has approved Boeing's takeover of Spirit AeroSystems, following a short investigation. "The CMA has cleared the anticipated acquisition by The Boeing Company of Spirit AeroSystems," says the regulator. Details of the decision will be published shortly. The regulator had in June announced that it would launch an initial probe into whether the transaction represented a relevant merger, and, if so, whether the merger would reduce competition in the UK market. A comment period ran from 26 June to 15 July. The USA's Federal Trade Commission is also examining the transaction. Spirit AeroSystems said on 5 August that regulators had requested further information, and that it expected the transaction to close in the fourth quarter. Boeing disclosed last July that it had agreed to acquire Spirit AeroSystems in an all-stock transaction at an equity value of about $4.7 billion. Airbus is set to acquire the segments of the business that supply its own aircraft programmes. On 5 August, Spirit AeroSystems reported sharply higher second-quarter losses, citing the disposal of certain businesses and charges on aircraft programmes with Airbus and Boeing. The aerostructure supplier's operating loss rose 45% to $481 million, while its net loss was 52% higher at $631 million, despite revenue rising a tenth to $1.6 billion. Kansas-based Spirit AeroSystems said that this mainly related to the losses from the transfer of certain businesses to Airbus, which brought a $133 million charge against the carrying value of the assets and sites. Spirit AeroSystems also recorded a series of net forward losses, primarily linked to the Airbus A220 ($100 million), A350 ($58 million) and Boeing 787 ($38 million) programmes, and driven by foreign-exchange rates, production performance, and supply-chain cost increases, including tariffs on the 787. The supplier notes that it holds a $51 billion backlog with Boeing and Airbus, and that deliveries increased in the second quarter amid higher production at Boeing, particularly on the 737 and 787 lines.

The US Department of Transportation's Office of Inspector General (OIG) has initiated an audit of the Federal Aviation Administration's management of Ronald Reagan Washington National's airspace. The OIG will also audit the FAA's management of exemptions from the use of ADS-B Out technology – which allows an aircraft to broadcast information about itself – at the airport. The DOT unit notes that the audit was requested by both the chair and the ranking member of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, among other members of Congress. That request came amid the Senate committee's investigation of the 29 January collision of a US Army Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a PSA Airlines MHIRJ CRJ700 regional jet (operating flight 5342 for American Airlines) on final approach to Washington National's runway 33. The accident resulted in 67 fatalities. The OIG adds that "requested areas for review include FAA's oversight of the airspace design and management and flight routes around DCA [Washington National], as well as the exemption process for ADS-B Out technology utilised by federal agencies, including the US Army". Also on 8 August, the FAA stated on its website that it was "closely supporting" the investigation of the incident at Washington National led by the National Transportation Safety Board. "We will quickly take any necessary actions and conduct appropriate reviews based on the evidence," pledges the FAA.

Turkish Airlines has predicted that groundings of its Airbus A320neo-family aircraft will increase next year as it continues to be affected by the enhanced maintenance checks required by their Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. Currently, the Star Alliance carrier has 35 aircraft grounded because of the issue, a mix of A320neos and A321neos, head of investor relations Mehmet Fatih Korkmaz revealed during a second-quarter results briefing on 6 August. Groundings are set to stay level until year-end before rising to 40-45 in 2026, although there is "some uncertainty" about the exact figure. "It won't exceed this number, with our projections," adds Korkmaz. Resolving the issue is an "ongoing process" and "we still have a lot of Neos grounded", he notes. Fleet data shows that Turkish currently has 87 A320neo-family aircraft in its fleet. Groundings added around 1 percentage point to the airline's costs per ASK in the second quarter, excluding fuel expenses. During last year's second-quarter results presentation, held on 7 August 2024, Korkmaz said the airline had 32 A320neos aircraft grounded by GTF issues and expected to rise to 45 by the end of the year before falling back. In his latest comments, Korkmaz notes that Turkish Airlines also has two cargo aircraft currently grounded because of maintenance issues. Ground-events data lists an A330F and an A310F that have been parked at Istanbul airport since last month. Turkish Airlines operates 25 freighters in total (11 Airbus A330s, eight Boeing 777s, three A310s, two A321s and one 747).