Virgin Australia International (VA, Brisbane International (BNE)) shareholder Richard Branson has aired the possibility of selling his Virgin Group's remaining shareholding in Virgin Australia, saying the airline's branding is more important to him than ownership. The issue was raised following the recent 10% share acquisition by Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi International (SIN)) which has watered down the group's overall stake to 13%; a figure that has raised some questions as to the Group's future plans for the airline. Branson is quoted as saying "the 13 percent is pretty strategic in that it could be very valuable to a player one day, but it's not that important from the Virgin Group's point of view." Regarding a potential sell off to Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International (AUH)), who had their own designs on Virgin Australia as part of their global strategy of securing alliances with other carriers either through codeshares or by equity holdings, Branson stated that he "would cross that bridge once he came to it."

Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi International (SIN)) is set to become the second largest shareholder in Virgin Australia (VA, Brisbane International (BNE)) after it announced plans to acquire another 9.9% stake in Australia’s second largest airline grouping, thereby taking its total holding to 19.9%. Under the deal, which is still subject to Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board approval, Singapore Airlines will purchase 255.5 million Virgin Australia Holdings shares for AUD 122.6million from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, whose own stake in the airline will fall to 17%. The deal is part of a complex arrangement that has seen Virgin Australia move to take a controlling 60% stake in Tiger Airways Australia (TT, Melbourne Tullamarine International (MEL)). Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International (AUH)) is the airline's third largest shareholder with a 9% stake with Air New Zealand (NZ, Auckland International (AKL)) 19.99% becoming the largest shareholder with 19.9%

Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Atatürk/Yesilköy International (IST)) is currently evaluating options to serve Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD) from next year according to statements made by Chief Executive Officer Temel Kotil to Air Transport World. THY is considering adding B777-200(LR)s to launch non-stop services on the route or to operate to Sydney via either Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International (BKK) or Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International (CGK). If operated as a non-stop service, Turkish would then operate the world's longest non-stop as Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi International (SIN)) will give up its non-stop routes from Singapore Changi International (SIN) to Newark Liberty International (EWR) and Los Angeles International (LAX) later this year making Qantas (QF, Sydney Kingsford Smith (SYD))'s Sydney-Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) route the longest non-stop operation. Kotil has also said that THY would be planning to move its fleet of seven A330-200s and seven A340-300s to short-haul operations as it adds more newer long-haul aircraft.

Scoot (TZ, Singapore Changi International (SIN)) CEO Campbell Wilson has confirmed the Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi International (SIN)) owned low-cost carrier is currently in talks with Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare International (ORD)) to adjust the B787-9 order it has taken over from its parent. Scoot currently has 20 B787-9s on order for deliveries starting in 2014 but is now considering changing its order to 10 smaller B787-8s and 10 B787-9s. Scoot currently operates four ex-Singapore Airlines B777-200(ER)s.

Virgin Atlantic (VS, London Heathrow (LHR)) Chief Commercial Officer Julie Southern has told the Financial Times that it would make sense for Virgin Atlantic to join Skyteam alliance. Delta Air Lines (DL, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International (ATL)) and Virgin had announced back in December that they plan to enter into a joint venture on routes between the European Union and the United States following Delta's acquisition of a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic from Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi International (SIN)).