Finnair is preparing a partial renewal of its narrowbody fleet, indicating that it will involve its 15 oldest Airbus A320-family airframes. Speaking during a full-year results briefing, CE Turkka Kuusisto said the scope and timing of the modernisation will be detailed when the company has “finalised calculation”. But he states that the average lifetime of the oldest airframes is “already beyond 20 years”. Finnair has 30 narrowbody aircraft comprising 10 A320s and five A319s, plus 15 A321s. Its latest fleet addition is an Airbus A350-900, introduced in December, which took its A350 fleet to 18. One A350 delivery is outstanding. Finnair says it is scheduled to arrive in the second quarter of 2026 but is “likely” to be delayed to the second half. The carrier also has eight A330s. Over the course of the fourth quarter Finnair purchased two previously-leased aircraft, an A350 and an A321. As a result it owns 34 of its 56 aircraft. Finnair’s regional division, Norra, is undertaking a refurbishment of Embraer 190 cabins. Seven are being refitted this winter and all 12 will be finished in 12 months’ time. Kuusisto says Finnair expects to increase capacity by 10% this year, although the “vast majority” of this comes from the aircraft “called back” to the fleet from wet-lease operations.<br/>
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Australia's competition watchdog on Tuesday backed a planned alliance between Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways, saying it would provide air travellers with improved services and products. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) draft determination comes after it gave its interim approval to Virgin Australia in November to market and sell 28 weekly scheduled return flights between Doha and Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The flights would use Qatar Airways aircraft and crew in an arrangement known as "wet leasing", and start as early as June. "We consider that the proposed cooperative conduct would likely result in several public benefits including providing enhanced products and services for air travellers which would include increased choice of international flights, with additional connectivity, convenience and loyalty program benefits," ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said in a statement. Virgin Australia is the biggest domestic rival to Qantas Airways, which has a partnership with Dubai-based Emirates and has an arrangement with Finnair to operate flights between Sydney, Bangkok and Singapore. Qatar Airways is still awaiting government approval for its purchase of a 25% stake in Virgin Australia from the U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital. The ACCC is now seeking feedback on its draft determination before making a final decision by March or April, the regulator said. "The ACCC seems content with the Virgin-Qatar alliance and the resulting increased ticket options will likely be a welcome development for Australian consumers also," Tim Waterer, market analyst at KCM Trade wrote in an emailed response. "Whether the alliance is as warmly received by aviation competitors (... such as Qantas) is another matter."<br/>
Virgin Australia overtook Qantas Airways to become Australia’s largest and most reliable airline at end 2024, sending a warning to the marquee carrier and supporting a potential return to the stock market. Bain Capital-owned Virgin Australia garnered a domestic market share of 35% as of December, surpassing Qantas’ 34.6%, the competition watchdog said in a report on Feb 18. It is the first time Qantas has been pushed from the top spot since early 2022. Jetstar, the low-cost airline brand owned by Qantas, had 29% of the market. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Virgin picked up passengers after the collapse of regional carrier Rex in mid-2024, following an ill-fated expansion into capital city routes. Virgin had the busiest December, typically a time of strong leisure demand in Australia, in the airline’s 24-year history, the regulator noted. Bain postponed plans for an initial public offering of Virgin Australia in 2023, and is yet to announce a replacement for outgoing CEO Jayne Hrdlicka. The airline has long struggled to make a dent in Qantas’ domestic dominance.<br/>