Air China, one of the three largest Chinese airlines, has announced its intention to purchase 100 COMAC C919 aircraft. The massive deal, which was announced on 26 April, has been valued at US$10.8 billion on current list prices. Deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to take place between 2024 and 2031. This landmark deal with the Beijing-based carrier, signifies a major boost for China’s homegrown passenger aircraft program. It also solidifies the potential challenge to the longstanding duopoly of Airbus and Boeing. Positioning the COMAC C919 The COMAC C919 is a narrowbody jetliner designed ..read more

JetBlue Airways (JBLU) recently released its first-quarter 2024 earnings report, revealing a strategic shift towards profitability. While acknowledging challenges, the company highlighted positive developments in operational performance, network restructuring, and cost-saving initiatives. Operational Resilience and Customer Focus Despite facing more disruptive events than the previous year, JetBlue delivered an impressive completion factor of 98.7%. This signifies a commitment to operational excellence, ensuring a smooth travel experience for customers. The airline is further enhancing the cus ..read more

Merlin has announced a partnership with MIT Lincoln Laboratory (LL) to pioneer the next generation of aircraft collision avoidance technology. Merlin is a developer of advanced automation systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This working partnership marks a significant step towards the safe integration of UAVs into the National Airspace System (NAS). The focus of the partnership is to integrate the ACAS Xu software standard (RTCA DO-386) with Merlin’s Pilot. This is the company’s core automation system. ACAS Xu, funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is an advanced airbor ..read more

A Sun Country Airlines flight operating to Minneapolis, MN made a precautionary return to Newark, NJ shortly after departure on 21 April 2024. Sun Country Airlines flight SY234 had departed Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and was on the climb when it reportedly experienced pressurization issues. Sun Country SY234 Newark-Minneapolis Flight crew subsequently terminated the climb and initiated a return to Newark EWR. The flight had continued climb to FL110, before terminating the procedure and commencing a descent below 10,000 feet. The aircraft then continued to descend before making ..read more

It has emerged a Delta Air Lines Boeing 767 bound for Los Angeles made an emergency landing into New York JFK due to losing it’s emergency slide mid-flight. Information has been released regarding this incident. Here is what we know so far on this… DL520 – New York JFK to Los Angeles… Data provided by RadarBox.com.formulanone from Huntsville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Delta Air Lines flight DL520, the Boeing 767 involved in the emergency landing, is a routine scheduled flight between New York JFK and Los Angeles. The aircr ..read more

Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA), the parent company of Hawaiian Airlines, released its financial results for the first quarter of 2024. Overall, the carrier reported a narrower than anticipated loss of $137.6 million set against surging costs. The first quarter saw costs rise by approximately 8% year-on-year. The report emphasizes the airline’s commitment to operational excellence and guest experience while detailing ongoing investments. The carrier cites the induction of new widebody aircraft and new freighter operation as the path to profitability. “We’re grateful to our team for their ..read more

The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) reported a mixed bag of results for the first quarter of 2024. While the company secured new orders and maintained a healthy backlog, it also faced financial challenges stemming from lower commercial airplane deliveries. Results primarily reflect a lower commercial delivery volume. Notably deliveries for the quarter were down, amid recent issues with quality and safety issues, and the recent audit of 737 production. Focus on Quality Leads to Production Slowdown Boeing’s first-quarter revenue reached $16.6 billion, but the company incurred a net loss per share and ..read more

Ethiopian Airlines announced last week new flights between Addis Ababa and Warsaw that will launch this Summer. Information has been released by the airline regarding their plans of the new route to the Polish airport. Without further ado, let’s get into it… The New Addis Ababa-Warsaw Flights… Photo Credit: Paul Quinn via Planespotters.net. Ethiopian Airlines plans to launch new flights between Addis Ababa and Warsaw on June 16. However, it has been noted by AeroRoutes.com that these flights may not take place until July 1. The outlet also reports that the aircraft of choice for such operation ..read more

This week, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a warning on engine vibrations on Airbus aircraft. Known as an Airworthiness Directive (AD), this will be in effect from May 6, 2024. Without further ado, let’s get into… What Does The AD Say About The Airbus Aircraft? Photo Credit: Airbus. The AD, which was released by EASA, has mentioned potential non-synchronous engine vibration issues on the following aircraft: A319neo A320neo A321neo Furthermore, the AD has singled out those aircraft types which are powered by CFM LEAP engines. The directive states the following: “Occurren ..read more

Last week, Budapest Airport revealed that they handled over 1.2m passengers in March 2024. The Hungarian airport continues to grow at a strong rate, with the Summer 2024 season expected to increase this substantially. Without further ado, let’s get into it… The Numbers at Budapest Airport… Photo Credit: Budapest Airport. In their statement, Budapest Airport gave an overview of their numbers for March 2024: “In March, 1,296,509 passengers used Ferenc Liszt International Airport, 21.7% more than in the same period last year and 10.5% more than in March 2019.” “This means that Budapest Airport ha ..read more