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Air Canada on Friday raised its annual core profit forecast and announced share buybacks, as the country's largest carrier benefits from strong demand for international travel. Major North American carriers with international operations are cashing in on booming demand for overseas travel and improved business bookings. Air Canada is increasing its flights to China, while also adding capacity to other Asia-Pacific routes, even as it saw some pressure on transatlantic travel, the airline said. Mark Galardo, Air Canada's executive vice president for revenue and network planning, said the carrier is seeing early indications that transatlantic business will bounce back in 2025. The Montreal-based carrier reported quarterly earnings ahead of analysts' expectations for revenues and adjusted profits, despite seeing weeks of softer booking volumes due to labor uncertainty as its pilots negotiated a new contract. Last month, Air Canada signed a new labor deal with its pilots, which would give the aviators a general four-year cumulative pay hike of about 42%, generating about C$1.9b in additional value. Air Canada is now monitoring how a weeks-long strike by more than 33,000 factory workers and a production crisis at U.S. planemaker Boeing would affect deliveries of the carrier's remaining 12 737 MAX aircraft, CFO John Di Bert told analysts. Some deliveries are expected in 2025.<br/>

In a major security breach, Air India on Saturday reported the discovery of an ammunition cartridge in the pocket of a seat on a flight from Dubai to Delhi on October 27. The cartridge was found on flight AI916 after it had landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, with all passengers safely leaving the plane. "One ammunition cartridge was found in the pocket of a seat of our flight AI916 after it had landed from Dubai at Delhi on 27 October 2024, and all passengers had safely disembarked," an Air India spokesperson confirmed."A complaint was immediately lodged with the Airport Police by Air India, strictly adhering to the laid down security protocols” the airlines added on action taken. A cartridge, commonly known as a round or shell, is a type of pre-assembled ammunition packaging a projectile (bullet), propellant, and primer within a casing, typically made of metal. Cartridges are designed to be fired from firearms, and their presence on an aircraft is strictly prohibited due to security concerns. This incident comes amid a recent surge in threats targeting over 500 domestic and international flights, which, though all false alarms, have raised significant security concerns. The threats, reportedly spread across social media platforms, prompted swift action from aviation and digital authorities.<br/>

ANA Holdings has maintained its full-year earnings forecast amid strong inbound and domestic passenger travel demand, even as its half-year profit slipped. The parent company of All Nippon Airways says it still expects an operating profit of Y170b ($1.11b) for the year ending 31 March 2025, unchanged from previous forecasts. It has revised upwards its full-year revenue to Y2.22t, compared to Y2.2t previously, as it expects strong passenger and cargo demand to continue for the rest of the year. However, rising expenses meant its full-year profit forecast remains unchanged. For the six months ended 30 September, ANA Holdings reported an operating profit of Y108b, down 16.5% compared to the year-ago period as a rise in costs outpaced an increase in revenue. Still, ANA Holdings notes that its operating profit is “progressing steadily at a slightly higher rate than the plan for this fiscal year”. The group posted its highest-ever half-year operating revenue – of close to Y1.1t – up about 9.7% year on year. International passenger revenue also hit a record high, at Y390b (up 8% year on year) for the six-month period, as strong inbound travel demand continued, and Japan outbound demand recovered quicker.<br/>

Younger employees at Asiana Airlines have left the carrier more than any other age group, largely due to concerns about job security stemming from the firm's long-delayed acquisition by Korean Air, data showed Sunday. The acquisition plan was announced in November 2020, but it has encountered multiple obstacles in obtaining official approvals from foreign authorities since then. Unlike other airlines, cash-strapped Asiana effectively suspended new hiring activities during this period. This has triggered the steady outflow of the firm’s workforce over the past few years. Asiana Airlines' environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report indicates that the total number of employees was 8,698 in 2021. However, this number has been steadily declining, reaching just 8,045 by 2023. The airline recruited new flight attendants in August for the first time in almost five years. The COVID-19 pandemic had previously compelled the company to adopt a belt-tightening approach, resulting in a freeze on new hires. By age group, the number of employees in their 20s and 30s dropped sharply from 2021 to 2023. In 2021, approximately 4,500 employees were under 40, but this number fell to under 3,600 by 2023. In contrast, the number of employees aged over 40 gradually increased during the same period.<br/>