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CAPA News Briefs

CAPA publishes more than 1,000 global News Briefs every week, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry. It’s the most comprehensive source of market intelligence in the world, with around 50 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider aviation sector.

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Below is a sample of the latest news headlines. 286 news briefs have been published for CAPA Members in the past 2 days.

Qatar Airways, via its official website, announced (17-Mar-2026) plans to operate limited services to/from Doha from 18-Mar-2026 to 28-Mar-2026 to the following destinations:

Lufthansa Group, via its official website, announced (Mar-2026) cancellations and delays are expected in its flight schedule to and from Berlin on 18-Mar-2026, after the ver.di union called on employees at Berlin Brandenburg Airport to hold a warning strike from 04:00 to 22:59 on 18-Mar-2026.

Background ✨

Lufthansa said it planned to maintain over half of its schedule and sixty percent of long haul connections on 12-Mar-2026 and 13-Mar-2026 during a Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ strike, with other group and partner airlines covering “numerous” Frankfurt and Munich services and Lufthansa Cargo operating over eighty percent of its programme.1 Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr said ver.di talks were advanced and he was “quite optimistic” about reaching a solution.2

Gulf Air confirmed (16-Mar-2026) "Due to the airspace closure in Bahrain, Gulf Air's scheduled services to and from Bahrain International Airport remain temporarily suspended", adding: "The airline currently operates temporary commercial flights to and from Bahrain via" Dammam King Fahd International Airport. Gulf Air announced it now offers limited services connecting Dammam to Frankfurt and Nairobi, in addition to previously announced limited services connecting Dammam to London Heathrow, Mumbai and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi. [more - original PR]

Air Premia completed (16-Mar-2026) work to reconfigure one Boeing 787-9 (HL8701) to 326 seats, down from 344 seats, in order to increase the economy class pitch from 31in to 33in. The airline plans to complete works to expand the economy class seat pitch on all aircraft in its fleet to 33in or more by the end of 2026. Air Premia stated it is "committed to continuously improving seat space and the cabin environment so that passengers travelling on long-haul routes can enjoy a more comfortable journey". [more - original PR]

Background ✨

Air Premia’s fleet growth lifted it to nine Boeing 787-9s after a delivery on 21-Dec-2025, with that aircraft configured with 35 premium economy and 291 economy seats.1 Air Premia chief strategy officer and EVP Park Kwang-eun said it considered Airbus widebodies such as A330-900 and A350-900 to mitigate Boeing 787 delivery delays, alongside evaluating a shift towards narrowbodies for Asian routes.2 Air Premia previously raised economy pitch from 31in to 33in on two 787-9s, cutting seats from 338 to 320, while three other aircraft had 35in pitch in economy.3

Melbourne Tullamarine Airport welcomed (17-Mar-2026) British Airways plans to launch daily London Heathrow-Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne service with Boeing 787-9 equipment from Jan-2027. Airport CEO Lorie Argus stated: "We're incredibly excited about what this extra choice means for travellers and exporters". Ms Argus added: "With the largest choice of airlines flying to the UK and Europe, 24-hour operations and the shortest minimum connection time of any Australian airport, Melbourne Airport is now the clear choice for Europeans heading to Australia or Australians looking to travel abroad". Ms Argus concluded: "The average daily international service injects around AUD190 million (USD134.2 million) into the Victorian economy each year, which is why it's so important that we continue to attract and support more services such as this to Melbourne". [more - original PR]

Background ✨

British Airways announced it planned to launch a daily London Heathrow-Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne service from 09-Jan-2027 as part of its winter 2026/27 expansion, lifting its long haul network by nine percent.1 Melbourne Tullamarine Airport recorded 3.4 million passengers in Dec-2025, with a monthly record 5596 international services after first-time services from Delta Air Lines, Hong Kong Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines.2

British Airways announced (16-Mar-2026) plans to launch daily London Heathrow-Kuala Lumpur-Melbourne service on 09-Jan-2027. The carrier plans to operate the service on a year-round basis and forms part of a scheduled expansion for winter 2026/27, which includes a 9% increase to the carrier's long haul network. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

British Airways resumed daily London Heathrow-Kuala Lumpur from 01-Apr-2025 using Boeing 787-9s, marking its first Kuala Lumpur service in five years, and it expanded its Malaysia Airlines codeshare to provide onward connections to more than 17 routes across Asia-Pacific.1 British Airways also outlined capacity growth elsewhere, including frequency increases from London Heathrow to Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Jeddah across winter 2025/26 and summer 2026.2

British Airways announced (16-Mar-2026) plans to launch three times weekly London Gatwick-Colombo service on 23-Oct-2026. The carrier plans to operate the service exclusively for the winter season. The carrier will be the sole scheduled operator on the route, according to OAG, though SriLankan Airlines operates from Heathrow. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

British Airways previously resumed Sri Lanka services in Apr-2013 by extending its London Gatwick-Malé operation to Colombo, with IAG Cargo also offering bellyhold cargo capacity at Colombo from 15-Apr-2013.1 2 British Airways later said it would cease onwards Colombo operations from 28-Mar-2015, with South Asia regional commercial manager Christopher Fordyce citing poor profitability, while retaining winter-only Gatwick-Malé flying.3 4

British Airways announced (16-Mar-2026) plans to implement the following as part of an expansion of its winter schedule for 2026/27:

British Airways extended (16-Mar-2026) suspension of services to and from Amman, Bahrain, Dubai and Tel Aviv up to and including 31-May-2026. The carrier also extended its suspension of service to Doha until 30-Apr-2026. [more - original PR]

airBaltic suspended (16-Mar-2026) scheduled Dubai service until end of Oct-2026, due to the security situation in the Middle East. airBaltic is offering passengers the opportunity to choose an alternative flight free of charge to any of its more than 80 destinations. [more - original PR]

Lufthansa Group announced (16-Mar-2026) the launch of its 'TO Green' fare, now available for tour operator bookings. Developed in response to growing demand for sustainable booking options, the product builds on the 'Green Fares' option launched in spring 2023. 'Green Fares' have been available for group bookings of more than nine people on long haul flights operated by Lufthansa Group airlines across all travel classes since Jan-2026. Lufthansa Group reported that over 5% of its customers chose sustainable travel options in 2025, compared to 0.1% in 2021. Additionally, over 1680 companies worldwide invested in sustainable aviation fuel with Lufthansa Group in 2025. [more - original PR]

Background ✨

Lufthansa Group planned to cut CO2 by 50,000 tonnes p/a by 2028 via its OPS Sustainability fuel-efficiency programme, after implementing 90+ measures since 2022 that saved about 54,000 tonnes of kerosene and avoided around 170,000 tonnes of CO2.1 Miles & More added incentives for members to earn extra miles/points when buying CO2 offsetting packages, complementing rewards for Green Fares.2

Southwest Airlines global account manager Jason Behrens, via his personal LinkedIn account, announced (12-Mar-2026) the LCC entered an interline partnership with All Nippon Airways (ANA). The partnership enables travellers to book interline itineraries through shared gateways in Honolulu, Seattle Tacoma, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago O'Hare and Washington Dulles.

Background ✨

Southwest broadened its interline strategy in 2025, adding partners including EVA Air for trans-Pacific itineraries via Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle-Tacoma and Chicago O’Hare.1 It also partnered with Philippine Airlines via Los Angeles, Seattle-Tacoma, San Francisco and Honolulu, and said it explored additional trans-Atlantic partnerships towards end-2025.2 Southwest also signed an interline agreement with Hahnair, giving ticketing access to 100,000 travel agencies in 190 markets outside the US.3