The Australian government has acquired A$50 million ($31.4 million) of debt owed by Regional Express Holdings from PAG Capital that makes it the largest secured creditor of the in-administration regional airline. Transport minister Catherine King says in a statement that the debt acquisition is “an important step to prevent an adverse outcome for regional communities, such as liquidation, and ensure the continued connectivity of Australia’s regional and remote communities.” Rex confirmed the assignment of the debt was completed on 23 January in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange. It is the second financial intervention by Canberra since Rex was placed into administration in July 2024. In November it provided an A$80 million commercial loan to the airline, allowing it to sustain its turboprop operations and extend its administration period to June this year after failing to secure a purchaser for the carrier. “Whilst the accelerated initial sale process undertaken by the Administrators in mid-2024 did not find a suitable buyer for the airlines’ regional operations, the Government continues to work closely with the Administrators through the extended convening period,” King adds.

South Korea’s transport ministry will remove concrete structures containing localiser equipment at airports and replace them with lightweight steel structures or bury the equipment underground. The ministry adds that it will also extend safety zones at various airports to the recommended 240 metres, and where that is not possible deploy an engineered material arresting system to slow down an aircraft, according to a 22 January update. The improvement plan follows two safety inspections into airport facilities across the country after a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed into a concrete embankment at the end of Muan International airport on 29 December, killing 179 people. The concrete barrier has been blamed for exacerbating the crash, making it more deadly than it could have been. The inspection revealed that improvements were needed at seven airports, including Muan, Gimhae, Jeju, Gwangju, Yeosu, Pohang-Gyeongju, and Sacheon airport. The ministry says improvement measures will take place immediately, while it plans to roll out measures to prevent bird strikes in February, as well as an aviation safety innovation plan in April. Investigations into the crash are still underway, with no official statement as to what caused the crash.

Southwest Airlines has successfully completed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), which is designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. The US carrier says it has joined the IOSA registry for a two-year period, after which it must complete a further audit to remain on the registry. It adds that the initial audit assessed safety standards across all of its operating departments, including manuals, procedures and safety programmes. "Along with our robust safety management system and safety culture we already have in place, successfully completing IOSA reinforces our commitment to safety and makes us accountable to the high standards upheld by airlines around the globe," states Southwest chief operating officer Andrew Watterson. Southwest says that the IOSA registration is a "key step" toward potential new partnerships. The carrier in September 2024 disclosed that it had formed an airline partnership with Icelandair.