Daily Briefing – November 17, 2025
Welcome to the airfreightinsider.com Daily Briefing, your streamlined update on the latest developments shaking the air cargo and aviation world. Today’s focus includes evolving sustainability pressures, fleet expansions in Africa, strategic moves amidst fuel challenges, and more.
Fuel Shortages in Cape Town Force Lufthansa to Add Tank Stops
Lufthansa has been forced to introduce additional tank stops on flights from Cape Town to Germany due to erratic fuel supplies at the South African airport. These intermediate stops take place within Africa and reflect ongoing operational challenges linked to fuel availability and logistics on the continent. This disruption underlines the continuing infrastructure and supply reliability issues affecting carrier operations in key emerging markets.
Lufthansa Evaluates Domestic Routes Following Tax Cuts
In parallel, Lufthansa is reassessing its domestic network, particularly the Munich to Münster-Osnabrück route, in light of recent reductions in air travel taxes. This review aims to optimize route profitability and respond to shifting demand patterns, signaling that intra-Germany services remain subject to strategic fine-tuning despite governmental efforts to stimulate air travel.
Fly Greener or Face Pressure: LATAM Cargo Accelerates Sustainability Drive
LATAM Cargo is ramping up its sustainability initiatives amid intensified demands from large shippers and new regulatory frameworks targeting Scope 3 emissions. The airline emphasizes “flexible and transparent solutions” to meet growing corporate and regulatory expectations for greener operations. This move reflects a growing global trend across carriers to integrate sustainability deeply into cargo operations to retain and attract environmentally conscious customers.
France and Spain Propose Special Taxes on Premium and Private Flights
At the COP summit in Brazil, France and Spain have put forward proposals to impose special levies on business-class tickets and private jet flights. The idea has stirred debate back in Germany, revealing fractures within the coalition government about further taxes on premium aviation segments. These efforts spotlight increasing political momentum to target luxury air travel as part of broader climate strategies impacting the industry.
Aircraft Orders and Fleet Growth: Focus on Africa and Europe
- Air Côte d’Ivoire has placed a firm order for four Embraer E175 regional jets with options for eight more, aiming to modernize and expand its fleet after signing the deal at the Dubai Airshow. This marks a significant milestone as Embraer secures its first customer in Ivory Coast, reflecting rising demand for efficient regional aircraft in West Africa.
- Ethiopian Airlines increases its Boeing 737 MAX 8 order book by eleven jets and will lease two additional aircraft to support its network growth plans, signaling continued fleet modernization and expansion ambitions in East Africa.
- Helvetic Airways of Switzerland confirmed an additional order for three Embraer E195-E2 jets with options for five more, potentially raising its E2 fleet to twenty aircraft. This expands their capacity with fuel-efficient aircraft suitable for regional European routes.
Innovative Financing for Turkish Airlines’ A350 Acquisition
Turkish Airlines has closed financing deals for two Airbus A350-900 aircraft through an innovative combination of Itasca-insured loans and Japanese operating leases with purchase options. This blended approach illustrates airlines’ growing reliance on creative financial engineering to acquire new widebodies amid volatile capital markets.
Boeing Maintains Focus on Quality Over Rate in Production Strategy
Boeing confirmed that it will prioritize stabilizing quality and production processes for its 737 model before considering any increase in output rates. This approach reflects lessons learned from past production challenges and reinforces the company’s commitment to ensuring long-term reliability over short-term volume gains.
Ryanair Cautiously Responds to Air Traffic Tax Cut Plans
Despite Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal to reduce the German air traffic tax starting July 2026, Ryanair remains cautious about expanding its offering in Germany. The low-cost carrier’s restrained stance suggests that cost-cutting measures alone may not be enough to drive immediate network growth in a competitive market.
Upcoming Lufthansa Anniversary Boeing 787-9 Joins Fleet in December
Lufthansa is set to take delivery of a special 100th-anniversary edition Boeing 787-9 in December. Bearing the registration D-ABPU and adorned with a commemorative livery, the aircraft’s arrival in Frankfurt marks an important milestone for the airline and is a centerpiece in its modern long-haul fleet.
Joint Venture Launches to Tap Growing Sea-Air E-Commerce Market
China’s largest 3PL Sinotrans and South Korea’s LX Pantos have jointly launched FutureLinks, a sea-air multimodal transport venture aimed at servicing the booming e-commerce sector. The JV will leverage key hubs like Beijing and Incheon to provide integrated logistics solutions, reflecting increasing convergence between ocean and air freight to optimize speed and cost in cross-border trade.
Industry Staffing and Productivity Pressures Highlighted by KLM Netherlands CEO
KLM Netherlands CEO Bas Gerressen underscores the critical need for productivity improvements across the aviation sector amid rising costs and persistent labor shortages. Balancing operational continuity with forward-looking investments, his message resonates with many airlines facing structural workforce challenges while striving for sustainable growth.
Trouble for Dutch Touroperator as Blue Islands Ceases Operations
Sunair, a Dutch tour operator, is urgently seeking a new airline partner following the abrupt shutdown of Blue Islands. Discussions are underway with alternative carriers to maintain their service offerings, highlighting the fragility faced by smaller regional operators in a challenging market environment.
That wraps up today’s briefing. Stay tuned for our daily video where we dive deeper into these stories and analyze their impact on your freight and cargo business.
Your editor-in-chief,
airfreightinsider.com