LOT Polish Airlines (LO, Warsaw Chopin) has retired its last E170 after more than 22 years of operations with the type. The final revenue flight operated from Vienna to Warsaw Chopin on October 30, 2026, the carrier confirmed in a statement.

ADS-B flight-tracking data shows that SP-LDH (msn 17000069), a 76-seat GE Aerospace CF34-powered jet, completed its final passenger rotation on the Warsaw-Vienna-Warsaw route that day. The 21.6-year-old aircraft was delivered to LOT in March 2005 and is owned by Falko Regional Aircraft, which leases it to the Polish carrier, according to ch-aviation data.

The airline's other remaining E170, SP-LDI (msn 17000073), operated its last revenue flight from Katowice Pyrzowice to Warsaw on October 18. The 76-seat aircraft, also leased from Falko, has subsequently been stored.

LOT was the global launch operator of the E170, introducing it into commercial service in March 2004. Its first aircraft, SP-LDA (msn 17000023), operated the type's inaugural passenger flight to Vienna, the same destination used for the final rotation more than 22 years later.

The retirement does not mark the end of Embraer operations at LOT, as it continues to operate E175s, E190s, E195s, and E195-E2s, ch-aviation data shows. At peak, the Polish airline flew 10 units of the E170.

As previously reported by ch-aviation, LOT has ordered twenty A220-100s and twenty A220-300s to renew its regional fleet, with purchase rights for another 44 aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled between 2027 and 2031, with the Airbus jets set to eventually replace the remaining Embraer regional fleet.

Qantas (QF, Sydney Kingsford Smith) has agreed to sell forty-four B737-800s and their eighty-eight CFM International CFM56 engines to UK-based aviation aftermarket specialist AerFin, the buyer announced on November 4, 2026.

The aircraft will be transferred progressively over seven years, with the first handovers expected before the end of 2026. The parties did not disclose the transaction value or identify the individual aircraft involved.

Qantas' domestic chief executive, Markus Svensson, said the B737s would continue operating for several years alongside newer aircraft. The agreement would allow the airline to adjust the timing of the retirements as replacement aircraft arrive.

The Australian flag carrier is in the midst of a fleet renewal programme, under which it is replacing its B737-800s with A321-200NY(XLR)s. As ch-aviation previously reported, Qantas plans to begin retiring its older B737-800s in late 2026, although it acquired four midlife units in 2025 to offset Airbus delivery delays.

According to ch-aviation data, Qantas currently operates seventy-nine B737-800s and seven A321-200NY(XLR)s. On the widebody front, it operates fifteen A330-200s, thirteen A330-300s, ten A380-800s, and fourteen B787-9s.

Uganda Airlines (UR, Entebbe) is working on obtaining fifth freedom rights for its newly launched route between Entebbe, Lagos, and Accra, with Ghana having approved the arrangement but Nigeria yet to grant authorisation, CEO Girma Wake has told ch-aviation.

"We have it from the Ghana side, but Nigeria did not give it to us yet. It will come soon, though. We are working on it," he said.

Launched on October 27, 2026, the service operates 4x weekly with B737-800 ET-APL (msn 40965), wet leased earlier this year from Ethiopian Airlines.

In an interview with UBC Television News, Wake explained that the airline was negotiating with the Nigerian authorities, which had linked approval to Uganda signing up to the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). Uganda is working with its government to join the initiative, he said.

Approval would enable Uganda Airlines to tap into local traffic on the busy Lagos-Accra corridor, generating additional revenue beyond connecting passengers travelling through Entebbe. The carrier plans to increase frequencies gradually to daily and potentially twice daily as demand grows.

What he did not say is that SAATM membership would also work in the other direction. Nigerian designated airlines would be entitled, in principle, to exercise equivalent fifth-freedom rights involving Uganda.

Expanding regional feeder routes is essential to building passenger volumes for long-haul services, Wake said, citing the improved performance of the London Gatwick route following connections from Harare International, Lusaka, and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo.

Operational constraints

Still, aircraft shortages remain a constraint, he said, with Uganda Airlines extending the wet lease of the B737-800 until March 2027 while awaiting the return of additional aircraft to service.

Uganda Airlines' in-house fleet of six aircraft comprises two A330-800Ns and four CRJ900LRs, one of each being grounded.

The airline has ordered four B737-8s, four B787-9s, and two freighters, expected to be a B737-800(BCF) and a B767-300ER(BCF). The B737 MAX aircraft are all scheduled for delivery in 2032, followed by the B787-9s all in 2033.

The airline projects revenue of USD116 million this year, rising to USD160 million in 2027. It is targeting annual revenue of USD400 million to USD500 million by 2030, supported by passenger growth, cargo, and additional aviation services.