The Insider Brief — Thursday 7 May 2026

Good morning. In today's edition: AirAsia confirmed its 150-jet A220-300 order in Montreal yesterday, the largest in the type's history, with Tony Fernandes already lobbying for a stretched A220-500; Allegiant and Sun Country shareholders vote today on their $1.5bn merger; Boeing's chief executive says the Trump-Xi summit next week is a "meaningful opportunity" for a 500-jet order; Delta launches Seattle–Barcelona this morning; and Qatar Airways restores Baghdad services tomorrow.

AirAsia confirms 150-jet A220 order — and wants 150 more

AirAsia placed a firm order for 150 Airbus A220-300 aircraft at a ceremony in Mirabel, Quebec on May 6, attended by Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and Quebec premier Christine Frechette, pushing the A220 programme past 1,000 total firm orders for the first time. AirAsia becomes the launch customer for a new 160-seat cabin configuration; EASA's current maximum is 149, and Tony Fernandes said at the ceremony that the carrier would order 150 of a mooted A220-500 stretch variant if Airbus proceeds with the programme, telling Airbus "that's the aircraft we really want."

The order, valued at approximately $19bn at list prices, will see all 150 aircraft assembled at the Mirabel facility, with deliveries starting in 2028 powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF engines. Airbus currently produces fewer than eight A220s per month at Mirabel — half the 14 needed to break even — and the order gives the programme its clearest path to profitability since Airbus acquired it from Bombardier in 2018.

Allegiant and Sun Country shareholders vote today

Allegiant and Sun Country shareholders meet today to vote on their $1.5bn combination, with the transaction expected to close as early as May 13 following DOT approval in April, creating a combined carrier serving 22 million passengers across more than 650 routes. Allegiant reported record first-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.77, up 78.7 per cent year on year, and reaffirmed $140mn in run-rate synergies from the merger, with roughly half expected to materialise in the first full post-close year.

Boeing chief says Trump-Xi summit is a "meaningful opportunity"

Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg said at the company's Q1 earnings call that the upcoming Trump-Xi summit represents a "meaningful opportunity" for a Chinese aircraft order, adding that Trump "has been very focused on supporting us in international campaigns" and that the potential deal involved "a big number." Boeing reported Q1 2026 revenue of $22.2bn, up 14 per cent year on year, on 143 deliveries, its strongest first quarter since 2019, with an adjusted loss per share of $0.20 against analyst estimates of $0.84.

Delta launches Seattle–Barcelona today as transatlantic push continues

Delta launches three-weekly Seattle–Barcelona service today using Airbus A330neos, a day after its four-weekly Seattle–Rome inauguration, taking its transatlantic network from Seattle to five European destinations and completing the carrier's response to Alaska Airlines' European long-haul push from the same hub. Alaska adds daily Seattle–London Heathrow on May 21 using Boeing 787-9 aircraft, entering a market where British Airways, Delta and Virgin Atlantic already offer approximately 14,700 two-way weekly seats.

In brief

• Qatar Airways resumes passenger services to Baghdad, Basra and Erbil from May 10, restoring all three Iraqi cities as part of its phased Middle East network rebuild following the Iran conflict, with Baghdad freighter services restarting tomorrow.
• Southwest Airlines plans to add new service to ten airports from Las Vegas and expand to a record schedule from Orlando following Spirit's collapse, with more than 200 daily Orlando departures planned by 2027.
• ITA Airways launched three-weekly Rome Fiumicino–Houston service yesterday using Airbus A330-900 aircraft, making it the only carrier offering a nonstop link between Italy and Houston.
• Avianca has applied to double Bogotá–Fort Lauderdale to twice daily, increase Barranquilla–Miami from three-weekly to daily, and make Medellín–Orlando a permanent daily service, subject to government approval.
• Air China plans to launch Beijing–Venice in July, adding a second mainland China route to the Italian city alongside its existing Beijing–Rome service.

That's your Thursday briefing. See you tomorrow.