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TAP Air Portugal will strongly increase its flight offer to the Americas in the summer of 2023. The Portuguese State carrier will be offering a total of 17 additional flights during the peak period of operation between June and September compared to the same period in 2022. Additionally, TAP Air Portugal will be restoring its pre-pandemic offer levels. The United States, Venezuela, and Brazil will be three key markets for TAP Air Portugal next year. As of December 2022, TAP Air offers 92 weekly flights to these three countries, operating 21 routes (one to Venezuela, eight to the United States, and 12 to Brazil). The Portuguese carrier currently flies from Lisbon International Airport to Boston International, Newark International, Washington International, John F. Kennedy International, Miami International, Chicago O’Hare International, and San Francisco International. It also flies from Porto to Newark. For the United States, TAP will offer 14 flights per week to Boston in the peak summer season next year (that’s three more flights than in the same period in 2022), five to Chicago (one more), ten to Miami (three more) and ten to Washington (two more). In total, TAP will offer ten more flights per week to the United States next year. The capacity of its commercial services to New York’s Newark and JFK airports will remain the same next year.<br/>

Turkish Airlines plans to hire 2,600 new cabin crew members and 1,200 pilots in 2023, Bilal Ekşi, the general manager of the flag carrier has said, adding that the company targets more than 10 percent growth next year. “In 2003, the number of cabin crew was 1,579, but it increased eight times to reach 12,841 in 2022. There were 651 pilots [in Turkish Airlines] in 2003, their number climbed to 5,793,” Ekşi said. He also noted that Turkish Airlines had 65 airplanes in 2003, ranking 35th in the world in terms of the fleet size, but currently the flag carrier is ranked ninth globally. “Turkish Airlines, which flew to 52 countries in 2003, now has flights to 342 destinations and 129 countries from Istanbul.” Meanwhile, the flag carrier resumed its flights to Tokyo’s Narita airport on Dec. 16 after two years. Turkish Airlines had to suspend flights to Narita due to the coronavirus pandemic.<br/>

Lufthansa Technik and BASF have jointly developed the functional surface film AeroSHARK for commercial aircraft. The film is modelled on the microscopic structure of shark skin and is applied to the aircraft's outer skin. It directly reduces aircraft drag, cuts kerosene consumption and thus CO₂ emissions. The Lufthansa Group will be the first airline group in the world to equip more than 20 long-haul aircraft in its fleet with aerodynamic sharkskin film. Following extensive testing and a certification process lasting several months, the EASA has now granted Lufthansa Technik a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the series application of this technology on two Boeing 777 models. In the future, all twelve long-haul B777-300ER aircraft at SWISS will fly with the fuel-saving surface technology. The same applies to Lufthansa Cargo's current fleet of eleven Boeing 777F freighters. The first SWISS aircraft equipped with AeroSHARK (registration HB-JNH) has already been in scheduled service since October. This aircraft had also completed the flight test program for the certification it has now received. In January 2023, the next Boeing 777 aircraft in Frankfurt and Zurich are scheduled to be modified with the riblet films.<br/>

Ethiopian Airlines expects its passenger business to recover to pre-pandemic levels in its financial year ending in June, its CE told Reuters. Africa's biggest carrier will ferry 12.7m passengers during the year, Mesfin Tasew Bekele said, up from 8.6m passengers in the previous financial year and 12.1m before the pandemic struck. Mesfin attributed the forecast to lifting of restrictions on movement around the world, the carrier's own expansion in terms of new planes and destinations, and a peace deal signed last month to end a two-year conflict in the north of the country. Any delays in re-opening of China could however curb the projections, Mesfin said, since it is a key market for both passengers and cargo. "China is lagging behind in relaxing COVID restrictions... If it doesn't gradually relax the restrictions starting in January, it may have adverse impact on us," said Mesfin, who took over as CEO in March. Ethiopian fared much better than other African carriers during the pandemic, thanks to its cargo business that was able to compensate for a steep drop in passenger traffic. It is already looking beyond the health crisis with an expansion plan to double its fleet and network, boost annual revenue and passengers by 400% and 440% respectively, by 2035. "Unless we grow, we cannot be successful," Mesfin said, adding that a larger network will give the business economies of scale. Under the expansion plan, Ethiopian is ordering new planes from Boeing, Airbus and De Havilland across all categories, aiming to double the size to 271, he said.<br/>

South Africa’s national carrier resumed flights between Johannesburg and Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls this week after nearly three years. South African Airways suspended flights on the route in March 2020 in efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19. The decision was also attributed partly to financial challenges. The first arrival of an SAA aircraft landed at the Victoria Falls International Airport on Thursday, December 15. The Zimbabwean government lauded the move, noting that it’ll help boost tourism in the country, even as the sector angles a return to pre-COVID levels.<br/>

THAI plans to add at least nine aircraft to its operational fleet in the first quarter of 2023 and will increase its flights to Europe and Japan to meet the rising demands of post-pandemic tourism, acting CEO Suvadhana Sibunruang said on Monday. He said THAI would reinstate its three A330-300 and two B777-200ER jets, which were grounded due to the effects on the travel industry of the Covid-19 pandemic. All five aircraft are undergoing maintenance before returning to full service next year. THAI will rent another four A350-900 aircraft with a 12-year contract at US$770,000 (26.8m baht) per aircraft, said Mr Suvadhana. The leases are being considered by the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the Transport Ministry, he said, adding that the first new aircraft is expected to be delivered by next March. <br/>