Latest analysis
Airline news digest: 19-25 April 2025
Our regular rundown of the biggest airline stories from the past seven days.
Alaska unfazed by domestic swoon amid premium and international expansion plans
Alaska Air Group is among several US airlines to observe eroding demand for domestic seats while maintaining robust premium and international segments.
Economic outlook prompts Southwest to trim already-reduced schedule
Bob Jordan, chief executive of Southwest Airlines, maintained during the company’s first-quarter earnings call that the transformational changes underway at Southwest will make it resilient during lean times.
Uncertainty rules as American is latest US carrier to report domestic weakness
When American Airlines executives discussed the operator’s first-quarter 2025 earnings on 24 April there was one word that kept being repeated over and over in the context of the US economy: uncertainty.
Moving on from supply chain ‘headwinds’, Malaysia Airlines eyes premium opportunity
As it reported a third consecutive year of profitability, the parent of Malaysia Airlines is looking to balance its growth ambitions with “a future of stability”.
Airline news digest: 12-18 April 2025
Our regular rundown of the biggest airline stories from the past seven days.
Economic pressure comes as Spirit and other ULCCs already feeling squeezed
As airline earnings season kicks off in earnest, industry observers believe that the discount sector is about to deliver a bunch of bad news.
United chief Kirby claims victory in wrestling customers away from Southwest
United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby is taking another victory lap, this time attributing the carrier’s profitability amid softening demand to its transformation into a sector leader in brand loyalty.
Interviews
PSA Airlines chief Dion Flannery pursuing ‘well-orchestrated growth plan’
After long grappling with a sharp pilot shortage that left many of its jets grounded and its fleet underutilised, US regional carrier PSA Airlines finds itself in a different position.
Michael O’Leary on Boeing quality, Max 10, fares, and ‘fat, dumb and happy’ peers
A year on from Michael’s O’Leary’s complaints about finding “spanners under floorboards” in Ryanair’s new Max jets, and the airline’s group chief executive is feeling more upbeat about Boeing’s progress.
Arajet chief outlines vision for connecting Santo Domingo to the Americas
Launching flights to the USA has always been a major component of Arajet’s business plan but the carrier has taken a circuitous route getting there, chief executive Victor Pacheco Mendez tells Airline Business.
How Air Samarkand is contributing to Uzbekistan’s rapid aviation growth
Only a few years ago, Central Asian country Uzbekistan counted its government-owned flag carrier as its sole local airline. But in 2025, much has changed
Latvian transport minister on Air Baltic’s post-IPO future
Latvia’s government aims to retain at least a 25% interest in Air Baltic as the company prepares to open its capital to investors, but accepts that the carrier might have to give up some of its independence in order to flourish
Opinion
Busting the airline demand management myths
Sustainability policies that do not reflect the reality of growth trends worldwide risk ‘carbon colonialism’, writes SimpliFlying’s Shashank Nigam
The pressing airline challenges in 2025
As airlines face operational and strategic issues, some leadership teams appear to have short memories, writes CTAIRA analyst Chris Tarry
What does an unpredictable US administration mean for the global airline sector?
After its initial optimism over expectations of business-friendly policies from the new administration, the airline industry is discovering it might have to take some rough with the smooth while Donald Trump is in the White House
‘Not my job’ is not a valid option for airlines on the net-zero journey
If airline leaders openly disagree with the industry’s net-zero pathway, it risks discrediting current initiatives, argues SimpliFlying’s Shashank Nigam
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