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CAPA News Briefs

CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.

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Below is a sample of the latest news headlines. 273 news briefs have been published for CAPA Members in the past 2 days.

Ryanair announced (03-Sep-2025) plans to reduce its capacity by 41% in the Spanish regions and 10% in the Canary Islands by winter 2025/26, owing to "excessive and uncompetitive airport charges" imposed by Aena. Details include:

The LCC added it plans to divert two million annual seats to Italy, Morocco, Croatia and Albania. CEO Eddie Wilson stated: "The decision by Aena and its shareholders - including the Spanish Government - to increase the already uncompetitive airport charges by 6.6% next year is the latest evidence that the monopolistic airport operator has no interest in developing traffic at Spanish regional airports and simply wants to focus on making record profits from the country's major airports". Mr Wilson added: "Ryanair remains committed to Spain, but we cannot justify continued investment in airports whose growth is being stymied by excessive and uncompetitive charges". [more - original PR - Spanish]

Background ✨

Ryanair previously reduced capacity in regional Spain by 18% for summer 2025 and closed operations at Jerez and Valladolid, citing Aena's "excessive fees" and ineffective incentives. The airline criticised Aena's repeated fee increases and noted underutilisation at regional airports following these cuts, with more reductions anticipated for winter 2025/26. It called on regulators to reject Aena's proposed 6.6% rise in airport charges for 2026, warning of further seat and route cuts1 2 3.

European Commission, via its official website, announced (Aug-2025) the new European Entry/Exit System (EES) is scheduled to be launched on 12-Oct-2025. European countries using the EES will introduce the system gradually at their external borders, with the system's full implementation expected by 10-Apr-2026.

Background ✨

The European Council and Parliament agreed that the European Entry/Exit System would be rolled out gradually at external EU borders over 180 days, with specific targets for border crossing registrations and provisions to suspend the rollout due to excessive waiting times or technical issues. EU countries could also choose to implement the system all at once if preferred1. The regulation supporting this approach had yet to be formally adopted2.

Air Lease entered (02-Sep-2025) a definitive agreement to be acquired by a new holding company, Sumisho Air Lease Corporation (Ireland), held by Sumitomo Corporation, SMBC Aviation Capital and investment vehicles affiliated with Apollo managed funds and Brookfield. Details include:

  • Air Lease will be renamed as Sumisho Air Lease Corporation;
  • Sumisho Air Lease and its order book are expected to transfer to SMBC Aviation Capital as part of the transaction. SMBC Aviation Capital will act as a servicer to Sumisho Air Lease's portfolio;
  • Air Lease stockholders will receive USD65 in cash for each share of Class A common stock, representing a total valuation of approximately USD7.4 billion, or approximately USD28.2 billion including debt obligations to be assumed or refinanced net of cash;
  • SMBC, Citi and Goldman Sachs Bank USA provided USD12.1 billion of committed financing in connection with the transaction;
  • The transaction is expected to close in 1H2026, subject to closing conditions, including approval by Air Lease's stockholders and regulatory approvals.

Air Lease chairman Steven Udvar-Hazy stated: "This transaction represents the best path forward for our company as it will deliver an immediate premium and certainty in cash value to our Class A common stockholders". Sumitomo Corporation Transportation & Construction Systems Group CEO Takao Kusaka stated: "Through this transaction, we will achieve greater scale and profitability, positioning the Sumitomo Corporation Group's aircraft leasing business as one of the largest globally in terms of owned and managed aircraft". SMBC Aviation Capital CEO Peter Barrett stated: "Investing in Sumisho Air Lease, purchasing their orderbook and becoming servicer to the substantial majority of Sumisho Air Lease's portfolio will enable us to deploy our financial scale and strength to meet the evolving needs of our customers and take a strategic lead in reshaping our sector". [more - original PR - Air Lease] [more - original PR - SMBC] [more - Aviation Week]

Background ✨

Air Lease reported strong 1Q2025 results with a 5% year-on-year increase in rental revenues to USD645 million, driven by fleet growth, and concluded significant aircraft sales and insurance recoveries. As of 31-Mar-2025, it had an owned fleet of 487 aircraft and managed 57 more, with long-term lease placements secured for the majority of its order book through to 2027 and beyond1.

marhaba, via its official Facebook account, announced (31-Aug-2025) the introduction of dedicated meet and greet services at Manchester Airport. It marks the company's launch of the services in the UK.

Background ✨

Manchester Airport previously offered its own VIP and meet and greet services, including the 'Friendly Guide' initiative which fast-tracked passengers through the airport for a fee, targeting families and non-English speakers1 2. Several third-party and airline-operated lounges and meet and greet options have also been available at Manchester, highlighting a competitive environment for premium passenger services3 4.

Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism reported (29-Aug-2025) the following tourism highlights for Jul-2025:

Background ✨

Tourist arrivals to Cambodia fell sharply in Jul-2025, continuing a downward trend from May-2025 and Jun-2025, as monthly totals declined from 547,373 in May to 413,560 in Jun and then to 347,492 in Jul. Arrivals from Thailand and China also decreased significantly since May, while Vietnamese arrivals rebounded in Jul after two consecutive monthly declines1 2 3.

UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reported (28-Aug-2025) UK airports handled a record 81 million passengers between Apr-2025 and Jun-2025, an increase of 3% year-on-year. CAA reported 75% of services operated on time during the period, an increase of 8%. UK airports recorded 141 million passengers in 1H2025. Additional findings for 2Q2025 include:

  • Cargo tonnage grew 6% to 700,000 tons;
  • Top destinations for international cargo included Dubai, New York, Doha and Leipzig, with "especially high year-on-year growth of cargo tonnage" to Asian markets. Delhi increased 61% and Mumbai increased 41%;
  • Airports across the north of England recorded "especially high growth in terminal passengers", with nearly 750,000 additional passengers passing through Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds Bradford airports. [more - original PR]

Virgin Australia reaffirmed (29-Aug-2025) the outlook for FY2026 provided in the prospectus for its initial public offering. Highlights include:

  • Demand for air travel to grow broadly in line with GDP growth;
  • Fleet and ASK growth are expected to align with demand growth, including the addition of 12 new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and four new Embraer E190-E2 aircraft scheduled for delivery by Jun-2026. The carrier noted that the majority of the new aircraft will be used to replace existing aircraft;
  • Ongoing impact of the transformation programme to support RASK growth, which is expected to reach 3% to 5% in H1FY2026 compared with H1FY2025;
  • Fuel costs managed through the hedging programme, which is in place against adverse movements in fuel prices until Dec-2025;
  • Growth in labour and staff related unit costs compared to FY2025 expected to be modestly above inflation;
  • Airport and maintenance costs expected to grow at above inflation.

Virgin Australia Group's underlying EBIT is expected to continue to improve, delivering a gross benefit of approximately AUD400 million (USD261.2 million) in FY2026. The company also projected domestic capacity increases of 5% year-on-year in Q1FY2026, 3% in Q2FY2026 and 4% for H1FY2026. [more - original PR]

Capital A CEO Tony Fernandes stated (28-Aug-2025) "My goal for the next six months - get all our aircraft back, grow Philippines and Indonesia, and return the share of AirAsia on MOVE to 60%, which will grow ancillary revenue". Mr Fernandes said: "We are currently working on a rated bond and securing local debt to restructure our COVID-era financing, which has dragged our profits". [more - original PR]

Ryanair announced (26-Aug-2025) a landmark partnership agreement with Booking Holdings, which includes global travel brands Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline and Agoda. The partnership enables customers using Booking Holdings' brands to access Ryanair flights across its network of 235+ destinations with full price transparency. The partnership also provides customers with access to their myRyanair account without needing to complete customer verification. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

Ryanair recently established similar approved partnerships with Expedia Group, Omio, Etraveli Group, Trip.com, Travelfusion, Atlas, and others, allowing these platforms to distribute Ryanair flights with full price transparency and streamlined access to myRyanair accounts without additional customer verification requirements1 2 3 4 5 6 7. These agreements reflect Ryanair's broader strategy to expand its presence across major travel platforms in recent months2.

Condor Flugdienst expanded (26-Aug-2025) its partnership with JetBlue Airways, enabling TrueBlue members to earn and redeem points on flights operated by Condor. Condor provides nonstop services from Frankfurt to New York, Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Las Vegas, Portland and Anchorage. As previously reported by CAPA, Condor selected Terminal 6 at New York John F Kennedy International Airport for its future operations from 2026. [more - original PR] [more - original PR - II]

Background ✨

Condor also expanded its partnerships with Copa Airlines and Emirates, giving its customers broader connectivity across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia, in conjunction with new long haul services from Frankfurt and Berlin introduced in late 2024 and 20251. It selected Terminal 6 at JFK for future operations from 2026, joining multiple international carriers at the terminal2.

Jet2.com expanded (26-Aug-2025) its family-friendly offer, allowing children under the age of two to travel for free. The policy applies to all new bookings made from 22-Aug-2025 and is applicable to children under the age of two at the time of travel. The policy already applies to families travelling with Jet2holidays. In addition, Jet2.com introduced a change to its child and infant equipment allowance, meaning that no excess baggage will be charged for child or infant equipment being checked into the hold. This policy is effective immediately. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

Jet2holidays previously added a free child place holiday on every flight for its summer 2025 schedule, available across all Jet2.com and Jet2holidays UK airports, including its Bournemouth base, and offered more than 18.2 million seats for summer 20251. Jet2.com also launched a new onboard children's menu following the release of its summer 2025 menu2.

Southwest Airlines, via its official website, announced (Aug-2025) a new policy requiring passengers who "encroach upon the neighbouring seat" to purchase two seats from 27-Jan-2026. Southwest noted: "The armrest is considered to be the definitive boundary between seats". As previously reported by CAPA, the LCC will introduce assigned seating from this date.

Background ✨

Southwest announced it would launch assigned and premium seating for all tickets purchased for travel from 27-Jan-2026, with the new seating feature available for purchase in advance1 2. The carrier planned to commence selling assigned and premium seating in 3Q2025, supported by a reconfigured fleet with extra legroom seating to be operated from 1Q20263 4.