AeroTime
• Ian Molyneaux
The FAA has exempted Boeing’s 777F from fuel-efficiency limits taking effect in 2028, allowing up to 35 additional freighters to be built and delivered beyond the 2027 emissions cutoff. The approval offers operators near-term capacity as costly conversions, widebody freighter shortages and 777-8F delays persist.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2026 Small Community Air Service Development Program will provide nearly $12 million in launch and support subsidies across 14 airports. The grants are intended to help smaller communities establish or sustain commercial air service and improve local connectivity.
Sustainable aviation fuel supplied at EU airports reached 2.79% of total fuel use in 2025, exceeding ReFuelEU Aviation’s 2% mandate. EASA says reporting compliance improved, while the European Commission allocated about €430 million in ETS allowances to 130 operators and airlines expanded supply agreements.
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The FAA has exempted Boeing’s 777F from fuel-efficiency limits taking effect in 2028, allowing up to 35 additional freighters to be built and delivered beyond the 2027 emissions cutoff. The approval offers operators near-term capacity as costly conversions, widebody freighter shortages and 777-8F delays persist.
Japan Airlines has agreed to purchase carbon-removal credits from Climeworks Solutions in what the companies describe as the first deal designed to meet ICAO’s CORSIA requirements. The portfolio combines direct-air-capture and soil-based methods as airline interest in carbon removals grows.
Ultra-low-cost carriers are seeking to reopen talks with Washington lawmakers over a tax holiday for jet fuel as prices rise. The proposal would provide near-term cost relief for airlines operating on thin margins, but would require congressional action and could face broader policy and fiscal scrutiny.
Austin plans to introduce landing and fuel fees for general aviation aircraft, with landing charges divided into two weight-based classifications. Fees would also increase during high-traffic events, creating a new cost structure for operators using the airport during peak-demand periods.
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The FAA expects tariffs to add about $100 million to its more than $12.5 billion air traffic control modernization program. Separately, the agency is narrowing an AI-assisted tool to real-time decision support initially, amid airline pushback, with longer-term plans to predict traffic flows and map routes days ahead.
The FAA has issued an order laying the groundwork for a unified safety management system across the agency, following the creation of an Aviation Safety Management Office earlier this year. The move establishes an organizational foundation for coordinating and managing safety processes across FAA operations.
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