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Wizz Air CEO Jozsef Varadi stated (12-Jun-2026) he expects Pratt & Whitney to resolve PW1100G engine problems by the end of 2027. Mr Varadi said: "Our interest is to get the existing fleet fixed before we embark on a new aircraft because that will just incur capital cost". [more - Aviation Week]

Riyadh Air commenced (14-Jun-2026) twice daily Riyadh-Jeddah service with Boeing 787 equipment on 14-Jun-2026, marking the launch of its scheduled domestic operations. As previously reported by CAPA, Riyadh Air launched scheduled international operations on 10-Jun-2026 with daily Riyadh-London Heathrow service. The airline plans to increase Riyadh-Jeddah frequency to three times daily from 18-Jun-2026 and four times daily from 02-Jul-2026. Saudia, flynas and flyadeal also operate the route, according to OAG. [more - original PR]

Southwest Airlines director - alliances Julie Morris, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas, stated (27-May-2026) after more than five decades, "the decision was made a few years ago to start expanding how we work with other airlines", including signing interline agreements for the first time. Ms Morris said: "Southwest has been around for quite a while. We'd like to think perfected the LCC model as a standalone airline that really controlled its own destiny in so many ways", adding: "We like to say we never intentionally transferred bags to other carriers, but we are doing that now". She said moving into activities such as interlining "brings a lot of complexity into an airline that really was able to have very standard processes and things that were automated for everybody", and reported: "We've learned a lot and I think it's going really well, but we're still very early in our journey". Ms Morris continued: "A lot of the global airline industry is partnered up in many different ways. We're entering this a little bit later in the game, so we are very open to all different types of partnerships, different carriers... we're just trying to find our niche as we move into this space". She concluded: "Our network is a bit unique in the US. We are hub-ish but not quite as hubbed as some of the other legacy carriers, and so we serve some different points and point to point markets and destinations that can be additive to other partnerships that already exist within the US". [more - CAPA TV]

Republic Airways chairman and CEO David Grizzle, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas, commented (28-May-2026) on major changes to how regional airlines in the US operate, compared to defunct airlines such as Mohawk Airlines, Bonanza Air Lines and Allegheny Airlines, which operated in the mid to late 20th century. Mr Grizzle noted: "Those carriers, who have now disappeared, they were having to do a lot of things, including selling tickets and negotiating pro-rates with the airlines that they codeshared with", which contemporary airlines such as Republic no longer need to do. He continued: "We are a pure play capacity purchase agreement airline, which means that we have no fuel exposure. We have no passenger marketing exposure. We have to be good at our operations, so we sell reliability, whereas those carriers sold tickets. That is a major change". [more - CAPA TV]

Endeavor Air president and CEO Timothy Wang, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas, commented (28-May-2026) on the business model and operating approach of regional airlines in the US, stating: "We're B2B businesses, right? And that has its benefits, allows us to really focus on operational reliability". Mr Wang noted, however, that "because of the rising cost structure post-COVID... it's in labour, it's in supply chain, it's in maintenance, across the board, [because of that rising cost structure] we do have to find and unlock productivity and efficiency that wasn't there before". He continued: "So I think you do see overall a higher level of... I'll call it business sophistication, because the market is demanding that". [more - CAPA TV]

Regional Airline Association president and CEO Faye Malarkey Black, speaking at the CAPA Airline Leader Summit Americas, stated (28-May-2026) despite some improvement to the severity of pilot shortages in the US since "the most acute period... [when] this industry was parking hundreds, almost a thousand jets", the hiring of pilots by major airlines in the US during the first three months of 2026 "again outpaced the production [and certification] of new pilots". Ms Malarkey Black said: "Things are stabilising now, but a lot of those stabilising forces are external", including "the slowdown of our mainline partners' aircraft delivery" rates. She opined: "So are we where we need to be as an industry? No, and I think the answer is an even firmer no when it comes to access and people being actually able to afford this career". Ms Malarkey Black noted: "Student loans were never built to cover the unique expenses of flight education", adding: "People are being held out of this career because it may cost up to USD200,000", and federal student loans fall about USD80,000 short on average, so "for those without either [family wealth or access to private loans], that gap becomes decisive". She reported the Regional Airline Association "do propose a fix... We've got legislation we expect to be reintroduced in the House that would right size those student loan gaps so that more people can access these transformational aviation careers". [more - CAPA TV]