Icing has been a threat to aviation since the dawn of the aeronautic age, and as manufacturers pursue efficiency improvements measured in fractions of a percent, the power demanded to protect aircraft—whether by bleed air or electrical heating—is coming under attack. At the same time, unmanned-aircraft developers see the need to operate in all weather conditions, but cannot afford the power and weight penalties associated with traditional anti-icing systems. Nanotechnology may hold the answer, at both ends of the spectrum.

With nearly two-thirds of its global workforce located in France, Safran Chief Executive Jean Paul Herteman says his company is fiercely determined to retain industrial skills at home, where the Paris-based propulsion group has invested heavily over the past few years, including construction of six new facilities since 2010.

India's ambitious in-house civil aircraft development program, which looks to build a 70-90-seat regional jet, has run into its first spots of turbulence—a turf war over who the overseer should be, entangled with a generous measure of institutional red tape that is delaying investments.

When Airbus and Boeing orderbooks swell, purveyors of used aircraft and lessors benefit by satisfying demand the aircraft builders cannot.

Japan's airspace, already among the most congested in the world, is facing new pressure as more flights are funneled into Tokyo airports.

Saddled with mounting debt and heavy losses, India's airlines are caught in a no-win situation. Passenger traffic is increasing, but costs are rising faster. The airlines want to grow and modernize their fleets to cater to passenger demand, but financing planned fleet expansion is problematic. Indian banks, which have about $7 billion already tied up in the airlines, are worried about their exposure to the sector and are unwilling to restructure loans to carriers, including state-run Air India.

European Union emission allowance (EUA) prices eased back in the first half of February, moving lower in line with German power prices and profit-taking on January's gains.

Nearly 16 years after Boeing seriously revisited the idea of stretching the 747, the company is concluding final flight tests of the first airline derivative of the 747-8 in readiness for an expected service debut in April.