Air Transport

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Accidents

NTSB Cites Major Gaps in Ethiopian Final Report on Max Crash

Final report into the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 fails to sufficiently consider flight crew performance, according to U.S. authorities.
Recovery crews sift through the wreckage of the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max
Aircraft

Hydrogen Demonstrator Flights Set To Start in the New Year

ZeroAvia and Universal Hydrogen plan to fly their respective hydrogen-powered regional airliners early next year.
ZeroAvia Dornier 228 hydrogen demonstrator on airport taxiway
Maintenance and Modifications

Contracts To Grow Embraer's Macon Mx Facility

Two contracts with Envoy Air and JSX call for the addition of three heavy maintenance lines at Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services in Macon, Georgia.
Embraer maintenance crew on cherry picker
Airlines

Southwest Airlines Struggles To Normalize Stricken Ops

After a schedule meltdown triggered by winter storms over the Christmas holiday weekend, Southwest Airlines slashed two-thirds of its flights.
Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 airplane in Manchester, New Hampshire in winter
Aircraft

Textron Announces First Airline Order for SkyCourier

Mexico's startup regional airline Aerus has placed an order for two Cessna 408 SkyCourier and four Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprop singles.
Rendering of Aerus Cessna SkyCourier and Grand Caravan EX in flight
Airlines

Ukraine Crisis and Engine Overhaul Delays Challenge AirBaltic

AirBaltic has shifted its business model in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while also dealing with delays in maintaining engines for its A220s.
Latvia's AirBaltic operates a fleet of Airbus A220 aircraft.
Airlines

Aviation Climate Taskforce Will Fund Decarbonization Projects

Ten major airlines are backing a not-for-profit group deploying funds to accelerate research and development projects aimed at cutting carbon emissions.
A Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787 is set to make the first transatlantic flight running on 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel.
Aircraft

Pratt & Whitney Runs First Hybrid-Electric Engine Ground Test

Pratt & Whitney, along with sister company Collins, prepare for flight testing of the first hybrid-electric propulsion system on a Dash 8 aircraft in 2024.
Dash 8-100 hybrid-electric propulsion demonstrator in flight
Aircraft

Appropriations Deal Eases Boeing's Max Cert Burden

An amendment to the U.S. Congress's Appropriations Bill does away with a requirement for a crew alerting system upgrade for the Max 7 and Max 10 airliners.
Boeing 737 Max 10 airliner on airport ramp
Aircraft

Mesa Switches Regional Alliance From American to United

Mesa Airlines is ending its 30-year partnership with American Airlines and will redeploy its CRJ-900 fleet to fly regional routes for United Express.
American Eagle CRJ-900 in flight
Engines

Fadec Alliance Tapped for Sustainable Engine Program

The Fadec Alliance joint venture will develop engine controls for the CFM International RISE turbine engine demonstrator program.
Fadec Alliance LEAP engine controller
Environment

SAF Production Proliferates But Aviation Has a Long Way To Go

New data released by IATA charts the projected rise in output of sustainable aviation fuel, but the group says more investment is needed to meet demand.
Neste SAF fuel tanker with lift refueling airliner under wing
Aircraft

Air New Zealand Signals Next Steps To Decarbonize Fleet

The carrier plans to acquire up to 23 electric or hybrid-electric aircraft and is now working with four manufacturers to replace turboprop commuters.
Air New Zealand is evaluating four electric and hybrid-electric aircraft including (from top left clockwise): Eviation's Alice, VoltAero's Cassio 330, Beta Technologies' Alia 250 and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions' planned hydrogen conversion of the Britten Norman Islander.

EASA Publishes Cabin Crew Training Guidelines

EASA is hoping to harmonize the varied cabin crew training requirements in Europe through its latest guidance.
Passengers deboarding business jet greeted by cabin crew
Aircraft

Boom Supersonic Outlines Its Own Engine Design

Taking on a huge risk to the Overture supersonic airliner program, Boom Supersonic has elected to design and build its own turbine engine.
Boom Supersonic Symphony turbine engine
Aircraft

United Turns to Boeing for Reboot of Long- and Short-haul Fleet

The U.S. airline will add up to 200 of Boeing 787 Dreamliner to its fleet and 100 of the 737 Max single-aisle jets in a deal worth at least $65 billion.
United Airlines is ordering a mix of new Boeing 787 and 737 Max airliners.
Accidents

Anti-collision Equipment Needed To Cut Ground Support Damage

IATA says a transition to anti-collision ground support equipment will reduce damage repair costs for airlines and also improve safety and sustainability.
A Singapore Airlines widebody airliner on the ground at London Heathrow Airport.
Aircraft

China Eastern Takes Delivery of First Comac C919

China’s Comac ships first of five C919 narrowbodies to launch customer China Eastern Airlines.
Comac C919 on takeoff
Aircraft

Etihad to Reactivate Airbus A380s Next Year

Four Airbus A380 superjumbos operated by Etihad will fly the Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow route beginning in summer 2023.
Airbus A380 in flight over cloud layer
Aircraft

Neste, Airbus, and Air France Signal Need to ‘Decarbonize Now’

Sustainable aviation fuel production must increase exponentially to meet aviation’s carbon targets, say stakeholders.
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Maintenance and Modifications

C&L Expands Global Footprint with ACLAS Acquisition

C&L Aviation Group acquires commercial, regional, and defense MRO ACLAS Technics.
C&L Aviation Group CEO Chris Kilgour with ACLAS Technics founder and managing director Charles Henery
Aircraft

Airbus Probes Superconductivity as Path to Lower Emissions

Airbus and the CERN laboratory expect studies into cryogenic superconducting powertrains to influence the design of the ZeroE hydrogen-powered narrowbody.
The CERN laboratory bases much of its research on its subterranean Large Hadron Collider.
Airlines

IATA Forecasts Airlines Will Return to Profitability in 2023

North American airlines will likely turn a profit this year, followed by Europe and the Middle East in 2023, according to the latest projections from IATA.
IATA director general Willie Walsh (pictured right) and chief economist Marie Owens Thomsen
Maintenance and Modifications

Tamarack Aero Targets Airliners for Winglet Mods

Active winglets could lower Airbus A320 fuel burn by 10 to 15 percent, according to Tamarack Aerospace.
Tamarack founder and CEO Nick Guida
Airports

Airbus Tackles Ecosystem Practicalities For Hydrogen Airliners

A “green” hydrogen ecosystem ranks as a key element in the realization of Airbus’s ambitions to bring hydrogen-powered airliners to market by 2035.
HyPort has opened a hydrogen refuelling station for ground vehicles at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France.
Airlines

Europe's Transport Chief Calls on States to Stop Blocking SES

The implementation of the Single Europe Sky project could save up to 10 percent of CO2 emissions across the region by modernizing air traffic management.
Eurocontrol's functional airspace blocks for the Single European Sky concept.
Aircraft

Embraer Narrows Priorities For Energia Green Aircraft Family

Two Embraer Energia-family airliners—one designed to carry 19 passengers and the other 30—would employ hybrid-electric and hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Embraer's planned 19-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner.
Aircraft

2022: A Pivotal Year for Advanced Air Mobility

2022 has proven to be a pivotal year for the advanced air mobility industry.
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Aircraft

Airbus CEO Sees Ongoing Supply Chain Pressure For Aerospace

At briefing with European industry group ASD, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said supply chain problems will last for at least another year.
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Aircraft

Airbus Reveals Work on Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Hydrogen fuel cells could power a 100-seat regional airliner, Airbus said during this week's Sustainability Summit in Toulouse.
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