As Gulf carriers continue to grow rapidly, so does their influence.

As international pressure mounts against Europe's attempt to make airlines pay for emissions, progress is being made on a global plan that offers the best hope of preventing a political standoff from turning into a full-blown trade war. The inclusion in the European Union's emissions trading system (ETS) of non-European carriers that operate in the region has raised the ire of governments around the world. And as the first deadline to buy emissions credits draws closer, Europe's refusal to back down is giving all parties less room to maneuver.

Low-cost carriers and charter operators in Central Europe face stiff competition, among themselves and from state carriers that “run on an emotional basis and are treated like they will go on forever,” says Sandor Szomora, deputy chief executive of Lufthansa Technik Budapest. Szomora, who worked for a Malev Hungarian Airlines joint venture before joining LHT, says these state carriers often are “not nimble or adaptive.”

On June 3 Dana Air MD-83 crashed on final approach to Lagos International Airport following what likely was a dual engine failure.

India and Latin America, among the fastest-growing air transport markets, are catching the attention of the global airline alliances, and Oneworld is the one gaining in both of them.

With an array of competitors launching new aircraft, it's fair to ask why Embraer is waiting until the end of the decade to introduce its next-generation of E-Jets. The answer: Why make the current 70-122-seat family obsolete any earlier than need be?

Airframe makers know a smooth entry-into-service is just as vital to encouraging new sales as a botched one is to putting them off. All the more reason for Boeing to be watching the debut of its 747-8 with Lufthansa with hawk-like attention as it pursues much-needed new orders for the stretched passenger model.

Airbus is already facing a huge bill to restore the A380 fleet to full life-cycle capabilities. But the cracks in wing rib feet are causing such huge operational disruptions that airlines want more than just repaired aircraft—compensation for lost revenues and profits is also sought.