FLER at APE

Escalating tensions involving Iran are disrupting air transit routes heavily used for China’s vape exports to Europe, preventing the usual post–Lunar New Year freight rate decline. While Europe-bound capacity reliant on Middle East hubs faces pressure, shipments to the United States remain largely unaffected for now. However, potential jet fuel price increases could broaden cost pressures globally.

BAT Kenya says it has resumed sales of Velo oral nicotine pouches after receiving regulatory clarity, reinforcing its push into non-combustible products as cigarette consumption falls.The company reported a 10% drop in turnover in 2025, with revenue closing at KSh23.2 billion (about $178.64 million), largely attributed to the growing presence of illegal tobacco products.

Brazil’s National School Health Survey (PeNSE) 2024 found that e-cigarette experimentation among students aged 13 to 17 rose from 16.8% in 2019 to 29.6% in 2024, while use in the previous 30 days increased from 8.6% to 26.3%. Over the same period, conventional cigarette experimentation fell from 22.6% to 18.5%, and hookah use declined from 26.9% to 16.4%.

Korean postal system launches nationwide heated tobacco device recycling through post offices and mailboxes, aiming to increase recycling rates.

North Yorkshire Council in the UK is set to spend up to £477,000 on e-cigarettes to support residents quitting smoking. Since e-cigarettes were added to the council’s Living Well Smokefree service in July 2023, 487 people have used them to quit, with about a third remaining smoke-free after a year.

Sesh said its Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA) for 64 nicotine pouch SKUs has been accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and advanced to the Filing stage, entering substantive scientific review. Industry experts say the development signals that the application has crossed a key technical and regulatory threshold, while also highlighting growing divergence in regulatory capability and market positioning within the nicotine pouch category.