Issues

China’s 'Big Three' airline groups are still struggling to turn a profit. Domestic travel remains strong, but flights to and from places like Thailand, North America, and Europe are a challenge. Air China and China Eastern are losing money, while China Southern is scraping by with a slender margin. In this week's feature story we ask why.

To merge or not to merge? That's the question for two of Brazil’s three major airlines. In January, Azul and Gol signed a non-binding deal with "intent to combine their businesses.” Then came a snag. Azul filed for Chapter 11, just one week before Gol exited bankruptcy. Today, the prospect of a Brazilian mega-merger is increasingly uncertain, as we discuss in this week's feature story.

Charles de Gaulle once famously asked: “How can you govern a country in which there are 246 kinds of cheese?” Fortunately for Ben Smith, governing Air France-KLM isn’t quite that complicated. But he does now preside over four different airlines, some faring well, others faring poorly, as we discover in this week's feature story.

Will someone in South America please check the calendar? Is it still 2019? Latam, South America’s largest airline group, is paying a remarkably low 4.8 U.S. cents, excluding fuel, to fly one seat one kilometer. That’s almost identical to the 4.6 cents it paid six years earlier. In this week's feature story, we explore why Latam’s cost structure is basically the same as it was before the Covid crisis.

There’s no shame in winning a bronze medal. Unless it’s a game of three players. The U.S. has just three global airlines. And for seven straight years now, the medal stand has looked the same. In the contest for best operating margin, Delta always wins the gold. United always wins the silver. And American always gets stuck with the bronze. In this week's feature story, we examine why.

Copenhagen is one of Europe’s fastest growing airports this summer. Scheduled seat capacity in the Danish capital is up 7% y/y, according to Cirium Diio. Surprisingly, Copenhagen is growing without much help from Europe’s low-cost airlines. It's legacy player SAS that’s responsible for most of the rise, as we explain in this week’s feature story.

Tariff uncertainty. A slowing job market. Negative Q1 GDP. Does a fragile American economy spell trouble for U.S. airlines? There’s seemingly no need to panic. All is well, at least for Delta. The carrier kicked off Q2 earnings season not just the airline industry but all of Corporate America. Were the numbers any good? Yes, but with some caveats, as we explain in this week’s feature story.

If a week is a long time in politics, then six months in the airline industry can feel like a lifetime. It's been a tumultuous start to 2025, even by the standards of this least predictable of sectors, and don't expect things to slow down much as we enter Q3. In this week's feature story, we briefly hit pause to reflect on the first-half of the year. Don't miss the Airline Weekly team's top 10 developments of 2025, so far.

We’re just about to start the second half of 2025, which means Q2 earnings season begins next week. As usual, Delta will get the party started, with an earnings call scheduled for July 10. Make no mistake: The first half of the year provided uncomfortable levels of uncertainty for many airlines. But amid the adversity, there are plenty of plucky carriers who aren't letting global headwinds hold them back. Among these is Saudi LCC Flynas, as we discuss in this week's feature story.

In this Australian version of David versus Goliath, Goliath always wins — at least until now. After years in the long shadow of Qantas, Virgin Australia appears to be closing the profitability gap. For the 2024 calendar year, it posted a superior operating margin of 10.8%, edging out Qantas at 10.6%. With Qatar Airways now holding a 25% stake and an IPO on the horizon, this week’s feature story explores what lies ahead for Australia's resurgent challenger.