Although there have been some small signs of life, a growing number of Boeing 777-200s and -300s appear to be headed for the scrapyard amid growing supply and poor interest in the secondary market.

Air Berlin's insolvency filing has deepened the malaise surrounding the yet-to-be-opened Brandenburg airport. And the Oneworld airline's challenges and likely break-up highlight how the market has changed since the German capital's long-delayed future gateway was conceived.

Qantas s reversion to operating its Sydney-London services via Singapore says much more about its Asian ambitions than its legacy focus on flying to Europe.