Lufthansa subsidiary Group Engine Management has agreed leases for four Pratt & Whitney PW1100 engines with CDB Aviation. The engines, which power the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft, will be used to support airlines under the Lufthansa Group, states CDB Aviation in a 28 July LinkedIn post. Group Engine Management was established in 2022 and provides engine management services to Lufthansa Group airlines.

The European Union and USA have agreed to exempt aerospace products from new trade tariffs that will apply between the two. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen states that "all aircraft and component parts" are included in a list of strategic products on which "zero-for-zero tariffs" will apply under a new trade and tariff framework agreement jointly announced with US president Donald Trump in Scotland on 27 July. The list additionally includes "certain chemicals, certain generics, semiconductor equipment, certain agricultural products, natural resources and critical raw materials", von der Leyen says, noting that "we will keep working to add more products to this list". Under the new trade rules, a 15% tariff rate will apply for "the vast majority of EU exports" to the USA. President Trump had previously threatened to impose a 30% rate from 1 August. Von der Leyen has not specified the rules for steel and aluminium exports to the USA. Citing a "common external challenge of global overcapacity", she says the EU and USA will "work together to ensure fair global competition", adding: "To reduce barriers between us, tariffs will be cut. And a quota system will be put in place." As part of the agreement, the EU has committed to purchasing US energy to replace Russian oil and gas imports to Europe, and to provide US exporters with "better access" to EU markets, von der Leyen says. She asserts that the accord "delivers stability and predictability, for citizens and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic", and "provides a framework from which we will further reduce tariffs on more products, address non-tariff barriers, and co-operate on economic security". Airbus tells Cirium that the agreement to exempt aerospace products from tariffs "restores the longstanding, reciprocal principle of tariff-free trade for civil aircraft". The European airframer adds that "a stable and predictable trade environment is essential for our highly integrated global aerospace industry". Safran says it won't comment before the official texts of the trade agreement have been published. The French aerospace group jointly owns CFM International with GE Aerospace. In June, the UK and US governments agreed a removal of tariffs on aerospace products as part of a trade deal between the two countries. A 10% rate will apply for UK exports to the USA.

Ethiopian Airlines has inaugurated three additional maintenance facilities at its base in Addis Ababa. The expansion project comprises a two-bay widebody hangar – the eighth hangar at the site – plus a component workshop and warehouse, Ethiopian says. It adds the new facilities represent a $150 million investment and were jointly built with China's AVIC-ENG, China Communications Construction and international engineering firm Dar under a project launched in 2022. Ethiopian cites landing-gear repairs for Boeing 737s and De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 turboprops among the more than 170 components that are being added to the airline's in-house MRO capability list as a result of the new workshop. The new central warehouse, featuring an automated storage and retrieval system, is intended to enhance spare-parts management efficiency and facilitate smoother maintenance operations, says the Star Alliance carrier. "The completion of these advanced MRO facilities significantly enhances our technical capability and reinforces our position as a key player on the global stage," states chief executive Mesfin Tasew. "With expanded capabilities and cutting-edge systems, we are now better equipped to deliver efficient, high-quality maintenance services for both our growing fleet and third-party operators." Ground-events analytics indicate that Ethiopian's third-party MRO customers over the past two years have included Saudia, Royal Air Maroc, TAAG Angola Airlines, Togo-based ASKY Airlines, RwandAir, Kenyan carrier Jambojet, Mauritania Airlines, Malawi Airlines and Nigeria's Arik Air. In addition to aircraft maintenance, Ethiopian is completing 767 passenger-to-freighter conversions in partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries.