Airlines will not likely be able to meet the EU's 6% sustainable aviation fuel mandate by 2030 because of a lack of SAF production capacity and recent shift by oil producers away from renewable energy activities, lobby group Airlines for Europe (A4E) has warned. Speaking at the A4E Aviation Summit in Brussels on 27 March, IAG chief executive Luis Gallego complained of what he sees as the slow progress of growing SAF production capacity. Noting previous discussions about the role of SAF in decarbonising aviation, he says: "The challenge then and today is the same: we don't have enough SAF, and the SAF that we have is too expensive. "We are committed to reducing emissions. But we also need to continue being a business, affordable and accessible for everyone.” Gallego cites a new Boston Consulting Group study which predicts that SAF supply will fall 30% short of the 2030 target, while sustainably refined synthetic fuels, or eSAF, will fall 45% short of its target. This, Gallego asserts, "is in line with what oil producers are saying". He notes that later this year the EU Commission is due to release a sustainable transport investment plan which is likely to include measures aimed at increasing SAF production. But he adds that airlines will need from the commission extensions of SAF allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System beyond 2030 "to provide long-term certainty". "Unless we have new measures in place, there will not be enough SAF by 2030 and the [EU] mandate will have to be delayed." Ryanair Group chief Michael O'Leary, also speaking at the A4E summit, highlights that major oil companies are the only feasible suppliers of meaningful SAF volumes. But with the shift in approach by the US administration of Donald Trump, he adds, most oil companies have moved their focus back to fossil fuel production. "This is the way the industry is moving for certainly the next four years," O’Leary opines. He asserts that airlines are still committed to the net-zero emission target by 2050 and "would like to meet" the EU’s 6% SAF mandate by 2030. "But if the supply isn't there," he adds, "it's not a cost issue, it's a supply issue." O'Leary warns that the EU's objective of growing SAF production will be increasingly challenged over the next three of four years as governments need to boost economic performance while having to rapidly grow defence spending. Lufthansa Group chief Carsten Spohr, another A4E participant, argues that slow progress on decarbonising aviation is a logical result of the sector's particular circumstances. "Decarbonising aviation is one of the most expensive ways to decarbonise," he says. "It's so much less expensive to decarbonise concrete production, heating of buildings [and] ground transport. So, with limited funds – now money [moves] towards defence [and] investments – I think we will see increased openness, I call it honesty of discussion, why these targets are probably not realistic targets. But nobody dares to say it."

PSA Airlines, a subsidiary of American Airlines Group, plans to open its 10th maintenance base in Knoxville, Tennessee, this summer. The carrier says the new facility will specialise in "B checks", which are more comprehensive maintenance procedures performed two to three times annually. Vice-president of technical operations, Richard Ugart, highlighted the strategic importance of the Knoxville base in supporting the airline's operational reliability and fleet growth. The facility will employ approximately 100 team members, including aircraft maintenance technicians, supply chain professionals, and management staff. The maintenance base complements PSA's existing facilities across nine other locations, including airports in Akron-Canton, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Dallas-Fort Worth, Dayton, Greenville-Spartanburg, Norfolk, Pensacola, and Savannah.

Cathay Pacific and its low-cost subsidiary HK Express will operate nearly 300 weekly return flights to 20 Chinese mainland destinations during the peak summer period, up nearly 40% from 2024. The airline is increasing flights to Beijing Capital to seven daily return flights, whereas HK Express will offer a daily flight to Beijing Daxing, for a total of 56 return flights per week, it says. It is also boosting frequency to eight daily return flights to Shanghai Pudong International airport, along with 11 return flights per week to Shanghai Hongqiao International airport, resulting in 67 weekly return flights between Hong Kong and Shanghai. Flights to Zhengzhou, Ningbo, Haikou, Chongqing will increase from four return flights per week to daily flights, with HK Express also operating daily flights to Ningbo this summer. Flights to Hangzhou will also see an upsurge with four return flights per day, while flights to Nanjing are increasing to twice per day, and flights to Wenzhou will increase to 10 per week, as flights to Wuhan grow to 12 per week. The Cathay Group is also adding 13 international destinations to its network this year, including Hyderabad, Dallas, Urumqi, Rome, Munich and Brussels for Cathay Pacific, and Sendai, Nha Trang, Ishigaki, Komatsu, Cheongju, Daegu and Miyako Shimojishima for HK Express, with more announcements expected, it notes. With this, the group will operate passenger services to more than 100 destinations this year.