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easyJet announced (03-Jan-2025) it became the first airline globally to trial a new lower-weight paint system from Mankiewicz Coatings, which is estimated to provide fuel savings of up to 1296 tonnes and 4095 tonnes of CO2e once rolled out fleet-wide. The new paint has been applied to 38 easyJet aircraft thus far, with the roll out to be implemented gradually and completed by 2030. The solution forms part of a series of actions the LCC is taking to reduce aircraft weight, which combined with fleet renewal, operational efficiencies and airspace modernisation aim to reduce its operational impact. [more - original PR]

Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) reported (31-Dec-2024) the following highlights for 2024:

• C909: Rebranded the ARJ21 as the C909, completed demonstration flights in Southeast Asia and the Tibet Plateau and made progress on the development of business jet, medical, emergency rescue and fire fighting variants;
• C919: Achieved full operations with three airlines and conducted post-certification optimisation;
• C929: Air China was selected as the first operator and COMAC carried out further design work;
• Established offices in Asia Pacific and Hong Kong. [more - original PR - Chinese]

European Parliament and the European Commission's President Ursula von der Leyen, via their official Twitter accounts, confirmed (01-Jan-2025) Bulgaria and Romania became full members of the Schengen area on 01-Jan-2025, enabling the removal of checks when travelling across land borders between Bulgaria or Romania and any Schengen member country. Border checks for air and sea travel in the two countries were lifted in Mar-2024.

China Eastern Airlines, via its official Twitter account, announced (01-Jan-2025) it deployed COMAC C919 equipment on its Shanghai-Hong Kong service, making the carrier the first airline to use C919 equipment for scheduled commercial operations to Hong Kong. As previously reported by CAPA, this marks the first scheduled international service to be operated using the aircraft type. [more - original PR]

Emirates Airline announced (01-Jan-2025) plans to bring forward the deployment of A350 equipment on the following frequencies from 08-Jan-2025:

• Dubai-Bahrain: Twice daily;
• Dubai-Kuwait: Daily.

This expands the carrier's A350 network to three destinations. The aircraft features 312 seats: 32 lie-flat business class seats, 21 premium economy and 259 economy class. According to OAG, flydubai also operates each route, while Jazeera Airways and Kuwait Airways also operate the Dubai-Kuwait route. Gulf Air also serves Dubai from Bahrain. [more - original PR]

Dublin Airport reported (30-Dec-2024) a record year in 2024, with each of the first 11 months seeing record passenger numbers, including over 171 days with more than 100,000 passengers. Retail figures show passengers at the airport consumed a full Irish breakfast every minute on average, while cafes served over 2.5 million cups of tea and coffee. The bars sold more than 1.5 million pints of Guinness, and popular products included 500,000 packets of Tayto crisps and 72 tonnes of Toblerone. The airport also reported a high volume of lost property, with nearly 19,000 items turned in, of which 56% were returned to the owner. Media relations manager Graeme McQueen highlighted improvements in terminal services, such as new food outlets and parking options, have contributed to high passenger satisfaction ratings, with further upgrades planned for 2025. [more - original PR]