Singapore Airlines (SQ) has awarded Menzies Aviation a contract for cargo, ramp and passenger services at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport (WSI), making the airline Menzies’ first airline customer at Sydney’s new 24-hour airport. Menzies will support the airline’s daily passenger flights and ad hoc freighter operations from November 23, 2026, when Singapore Airlines begins operations at WSI.

Menzies announced the award in a release dated November 3, 2026, calling it a milestone in its expansion at the airport, where it has built a 12,500 square meter cargo facility. The contract adds to work Menzies already does for the airline: freighter ramp handling in Sydney and Melbourne, and ground handling in Brisbane and Cairns, a contract Menzies won earlier in 2026.

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The Singapore Airlines service Menzies will handle

Singapore Airlines announced the route on March 24, 2026: daily non-stop flights between Singapore and WSI from November 23, 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, using the Airbus A350-900 medium-haul aircraft with 303 seats, 40 in Business Class and 263 in Economy Class.

The inaugural flight, SQ201, is scheduled to depart Singapore at 11:30 a.m. local time on November 23 and arrive at WSI at 10:20 p.m. local time. The return flight, SQ202, leaves WSI just before midnight the same day and reaches Singapore around 5 a.m. on November 24, 2026. With its four daily flights to Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport, the airline will operate five daily flights to Sydney and serve eight Australian destinations, while its low-cost subsidiary Scoot serves Melbourne, Perth and Sydney Kingsford Smith.

The airline said the late-night departures would allow connections through Singapore Changi Airport to more than 130 destinations served by the SIA Group. Foo Chai Woo, Regional Vice President South West Pacific at Singapore Airlines, said the airline is working closely with Menzies as it prepares for the launch, so that it is ready to deliver the passenger, ramp and cargo handling services its customers expect.

Menzies’ cargo build-up at Western Sydney

Menzies says its WSI facility, in the airport’s cargo precinct, can handle up to 200,000 tonnes a year, making it the company’s largest cargo warehouse in Oceania and Southeast Asia. It is set up for pharmaceuticals, perishables, e-commerce shipments and heavy freight, and runs on MACH, Menzies’ cargo management platform, which the company says provides real-time shipment tracking.

“We are proud to be appointed by Singapore Airlines, our first airline customer at Western Sydney International Airport,” said Darren Masters, Executive Vice President Oceania, Southeast Asia & China at Menzies Aviation. He said the new airside cargo facility and integrated service offering will support airline growth and help establish the airport as a major aviation and cargo gateway for Australia.

The contract extends Menzies’ presence in Australia, where it provides air cargo and ground services at 15 airports. WSI is its 11th cargo operation in the country. In Southeast Asia, AirPro News reported in October on Menzies’ move to full-suite services at Kuala Lumpur.

Where Western Sydney International stands

Singapore Airlines was the first international airline to agree to serve WSI, in August 2024, according to a media release from Catherine King, Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. The release said the airport would be ready for cargo in July and for passengers in October 2026, and described it as the centrepiece of the Albanese Government’s $18 billion investment in Western Sydney. Related projects listed in the release include the new M12, a future Sydney Metro Airport connection and road upgrades to Elizabeth Drive, Fifteenth Avenue and Mamre Road.

“Our 24-hour capacity, coupled with Singapore Airlines’ extensive global connectivity, will open our city to the world,” said Simon Hickey, Chief Executive Officer of WSI, when the route was announced. AirPro News has covered the airport’s opening to passengers and Panasonic Technical Services’ maintenance base there.

WSI has a single runway, 05/23, of 12,139 feet, according to the AirPro Atlas. The Atlas lists Singapore Changi (WSSS) as the hub of Singapore Airlines.

The Lufthansa Group and the Portuguese government signed an agreement at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon on November 3, 2026, for Lufthansa to acquire an initial 44.9 percent minority stake in TAP Air Portugal for 1.025 billion euros. The transaction still needs approval from the relevant authorities, in particular the European Commission, before it can be completed.

In a press release dated November 3, 2026, the Lufthansa Group called the signing a decisive milestone in TAP’s privatization. The release also puts a figure on the commercial case: Lufthansa estimates the synergies at up to 450 million euros and says a minority stake already allows it to realize most of them.

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What the agreement covers

According to the Lufthansa Group, the purchase price for the initial 44.9 percent stake is financed entirely from available liquidity. The stake could rise to up to 49.9 percent through the possible acquisition of shares initially offered to TAP employees. Including a ticking fee, the total purchase price could reach up to 1.2 billion euros.

Carsten Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, described the signing in the release:

“Today’s signing is an excellent signal that extends far into our shared future with TAP Air Portugal.”

Spohr said the two networks complement each other and that the partnership opens growth opportunities in Portugal, South America and Brazil, with the aim of developing Lisbon into a Lufthansa Group hub. He also thanked the Portuguese government for its privatization process.

Lisbon as the group’s seventh hub

Lufthansa said its growth plans center on expanding TAP’s network, especially the links between Portugal and Brazil, Portuguese-speaking Africa and North America. Lisbon would become the seventh hub of the Lufthansa Group, and Porto, the Azores, Madeira and the Algarve are also part of the strategy.

The release gives the market share at stake. Lufthansa says its current share of traffic between Europe and Latin America is about nine percent, and that the calculated combined share with TAP would be about 20 percent.

TAP Air Portugal (TP), founded in 1945, is a Star Alliance member, according to its AirPro Atlas profile. The Atlas lists a single runway at Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), runway 02/20, at 12,500 feet. Among the three pillars that Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Miguel Pinto Luz set out for the privatization is an aviation strategy that includes the development of the new Lisbon airport and added airport capacity.

From bid to signing

The signing follows a privatization process that the government says involved two and a half years of preparation. On April 23, 2026, the Council of Ministers invited Air France-KLM and Lufthansa to submit binding offers in the final phase of the privatization. The government said at the time that it intended to sell up to 49.9 percent of TAP’s share capital: 44.9 percent to an investor and up to 5 percent reserved for workers.

The Lufthansa Group submitted its bid to Parpública, the Portuguese state-owned investment company, on July 29, 2026. In a release dated October 14, 2026, Lufthansa welcomed the government’s decision to pick its offer, which AirPro News covered as Portugal’s choice of the Lufthansa bid. In that release, Lufthansa said it expected to sign the acquisition agreements shortly.

The government’s own summary of the decision, dated October 15, 2026, said the operation brings in 1,201 million euros and that the Portuguese State keeps a majority stake of 50.1 percent in TAP. It said Lufthansa’s financial proposal was 16 percent higher than the competing proposal and carried less uncertainty, while the technical proposals and contractual conditions were considered equivalent. The government also said it planned to sign the first-phase documents by the end of 2026.

Fleet and maintenance commitments

The government’s summary lists the commitments in the Lufthansa proposal: TAP’s fleet growing to 117 aircraft by 2035 and 130 after that, with estimated additional investment of 3 to 4 billion euros; the possible transfer of up to eight Airbus A350-900s after 2030; modernisation of the Portugália fleet; and Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport becoming a second operating base with eight long-haul aircraft. TAP keeps its brand, its headquarters in Portugal and the Lisbon hub, and remains in Star Alliance.

For maintenance, the government cites about 300 million euros of investment and 700 jobs at the Lufthansa Technik center in Santa Maria da Feira, near Porto. Lufthansa says ground was broken on the site in June and that it is expected to raise the group’s direct jobs in Portugal to more than 1,000 by 2030, from more than 500 professionals working for Lufthansa Group companies in the country. The group’s airlines currently offer 353 weekly flights to six destinations in Portugal, which Lufthansa says is a 75 percent increase compared with 2019.

What comes next

Lufthansa said the transaction will be completed once all required regulatory approvals are received. The government said in October that the regulatory procedures include the European Commission, through its Directorate-General for Competition, and Portugal’s National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC).

A second phase is also in view. The Lufthansa Group says it expressly welcomes the prospect of a full privatization of TAP and that a majority stake would offer further opportunities to accelerate TAP’s growth and competitiveness. According to the government, a possible second privatization phase, which could proceed by 2028, would include the acquisition of a majority of TAP’s capital, bringing in an additional 863 million euros and a share swap valued at 488 million euros, equal to 5 percent of the combined group. The government estimates that the operation, with share appreciation and future dividends up to 2040, could recover about 3.4 billion euros, against more than 3.2 billion euros of public investment in the airline.

AirPro News analysis

The two parties frame the same deal from different ends. Lufthansa’s case rests on network share: from about nine percent to about 20 percent of traffic between Europe and Latin America, with most of the estimated synergies available from a minority position. The government’s case rests on keeping 50.1 percent now while leaving room for a second phase by 2028 that would include a majority stake for Lufthansa and a share swap equal to 5 percent of the combined group.

For operators, lessors and MRO shops, we see the figures to watch in the fleet and maintenance plan: 117 aircraft by 2035, up to eight A350-900s after 2030, a Porto base with eight long-haul aircraft and the Santa Maria da Feira site. Each of those plans sits behind the regulatory approvals that both Lufthansa and the government list as conditions for completion.

Avolon has finalized its purchase of 140 Boeing 737-10 airplanes, which Boeing describes as a record 737 MAX order by a lessor. The deal brings Avolon’s 737 MAX backlog to more than 240 unfilled orders, according to Boeing, and commits the lessor to the largest member of the 737 MAX family.

Boeing and Avolon announced the agreement in Seattle on November 4, 2026, in a release published on Boeing’s investor relations site. It follows Avolon’s own release of October 8, 2026, in which the lessor reported a firm order for 140 737 MAX aircraft as part of its 250-aircraft Boeing and Airbus order, subject only to approval by the shareholders of Bohai Leasing Co., Ltd., Avolon’s 70% shareholder.

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Why lessors are moving to the 737-10

Boeing set the order against growing lessor demand for the largest 737 MAX variant. According to the release, lessors placed firm orders for more than 230 737-10 airplanes in 2026, five times the lessor backlog for the variant at the end of 2025. Boeing said large single-aisle jets such as the 737-10 are the fastest-growing segment of commercial aviation.

According to the release, the 737-10 lets Avolon meet demand for larger single-aisle jets while drawing on the versatility of the 737 family, which Boeing says has a large customer base and low operating costs.

The manufacturer said the 737-10 offers the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle airplane, with seating for up to 230 passengers and a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,740 kilometers). AirPro News has also covered Aerolíneas Argentinas’ six 737-10 leases from ACG.

“The 737-10 combines outstanding economics with the capacity airlines increasingly require,” said Andy Cronin, Avolon’s CEO. He said the order strengthens Avolon’s long-term delivery pipeline and its partnership with Boeing.

Brad McMullen, Boeing’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing, said Avolon’s growing 737 MAX portfolio helps airlines modernize their fleets with lower emissions and operating costs, and that Boeing stands ready to support lessors expanding their single-aisle portfolios.

The 737 in lessor portfolios

Boeing described the 737 as a cornerstone of most lessors’ portfolios, representing about 30% of all financed airplanes. Lessors have ordered more than 1,450 737 MAX airplanes, about 20% of Boeing’s backlog, according to the release. Boeing said projected 4% annual passenger traffic growth over the next 20 years is pushing lessors to broaden their single-aisle offerings.

The release does not give delivery dates for the 140 aircraft or name the airlines that will lease them.

Where the order sits in Avolon’s fleet plan

In its October 8 release, Avolon said it had placed firm orders for 250 new-technology aircraft: 140 737 MAX aircraft from Boeing and 110 aircraft from Airbus, made up of 75 A320neo family and 35 A330neo family aircraft, with options for a further 100 aircraft. The orders raised Avolon’s total firm aircraft commitments to 749 aircraft, and the lessor said they support the long-term fleet requirements of its airline customers.

The same release carried Avolon’s third-quarter 2026 update. The lessor acquired 10 aircraft and sold 29 in the quarter, with 112 more agreed for sale at quarter-end. It placed 28 new-technology aircraft from its commitments, leaving 89% of its committed fleet placed for the next 24 months, and executed 84 lease agreements, extensions and amendments.

Avolon ended the quarter with an owned, managed and committed fleet of 1,092 aircraft as of September 30, 2026, or 1,342 pro forma for the new orders. It also established a US$1.5 billion commercial paper programme and closed a US$855 million unsecured term loan with a syndicate of primarily Asian banks. The company says it works with 138 airlines in 62 countries.

Cronin said in October that Avolon was seeing strong demand for new-technology aircraft, reflected in its third-quarter placement and trading activity, and that the orders would enhance its ability to support airlines renewing and expanding their fleets. The Boeing order lands days after Avolon’s Constellation Aviation launch.