Aviation News

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is one of the busiest airports in the US, with nearly 60 million passengers passing through it last year. But with 33% growth over the past decade and just three runways, the American Airlines hub has been outgrowing its capacity. Which is why Charlotte has invested in significant airport expansions, including the construction of a fourth parallel runway, set to come online in 2027.

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport has broken ground on a new $80 million air cargo facility designed to improve freight transport efficiency across Wisconsin and the Midwest. The development is being led by Texas-based real estate firm Crow Holdings and will transform the underused southern portion of the airport into a high-capacity freight operation.

On April 15, police removed a passenger from a flight at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) moments before takeoff. A TSA officer detected an image of a firearm during screening at a security checkpoint. However, before the gun and the bag it was within could be confiscated, Besnik Ismajlaj, a 52-year-old man, reached inside the X-ray machine, grabbed the bag, and left for his flight. The incident was recorded on a police body camera and reported by Local 12 on May 13.

On Thursday, American Airlines announced the start of a new 'Main Cabin Energy’ promotion with its AAdvantage rewards program. The promotion offers members one-way domestic flights for a low number of reward miles. Over one million Main Cabin seats on domestic flights and one-way Main Cabin seats on transatlantic flights will be offered. The award tickets are redeemable on the American's website, and the promotion will be available through May 28.

In order to tackle the issues of air traffic control staff shortages and insufficient training found in recent years, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun delivering Tower Simulation Systems (TSS) to increase the number of sufficiently trained staff available to airports. The FAA announced the continued rollout of TSS, which is part of US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s plan to increase air controller staff levels.

Exactly 88 years ago, United Airlines operated its first flight from Denver. Since the airline launched operations out of the Mile High City, the carrier has continued to grow its presence in the market, and it is today the largest airline operating flights to and from Denver International Airport (DEN). A legacy carrier, United Airlines, efficiently serves the business travel demand that flies in and out of Denver while catering to regional traffic connecting through the hub.

British Airways has been fined $4.2 million (£3.2 million) after two baggage handlers were injured in separate falls at London Heathrow Airport. The incidents occurred in 2022 and 2023 and involved staff members using aircraft-loading equipment that lacked proper safety protection.

An Air Canada flight from Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) was forced to divert to St John's due to an unruly passenger onboard. The flight eventually continued to its destination but arrived about three hours past its scheduled time.

May is a critical month for route launches between the US and Europe, especially from May 20 onwards. It's ahead of the all-important peak summer with the highest traffic and fares. Examining every service shows that 27 routes will begin this month, excluding seasonal resumptions. They include two one-offs: Global Airlines Airbus A380 service from Glasgow and Manchester to New York JFK.

During the pandemic, as some airlines struggled for survival, some saw opportunities to begin something that, under different circumstances, perhaps would not have been viable. One of those examples is Norse Atlantic, the long-haul low-cost carrier, which took over Norwegian’s Boeing 787s to have another shot at making the long-haul low-cost business model work.

On May 11, United Airlines flight 870 took 28 hours to reach its destination of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on a transpacific flight from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD). Business Insider reported the incident on May 14, describing how the Boeing 777-200 diverted twice on its route, which normally takes around 13 hours. After leaving Australia, it first diverted to Faleolo, Samoa, due to a medical emergency, then flew to Honolulu, switching crews before flying the final leg to San Francisco.

American Airlines is adding more than 22,000 extra seats this fall to help fans attend their favorite professional and college football games across the United States. This marks the airline's largest-ever fall football schedule, offering more football-focused capacity than any other carrier.

Delta Air Lines will appoint Brad Sheehan as the new Senior Vice President of Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance following the retirement of David Garrison, who has held the position for nearly five years. Sheehan is a seasoned aviation safety expert, bringing over 25 years of industry experience.

Delta Air Lines has refreshed the names of its onboard products and introduced a new booking experience. Beginning May 15, 2025, all customers shopping and booking flights originating from the US or Canada on or after October 1, 2025, will see these changes. The updates will be reflected in the Fly Delta app and on Delta’s official website.

Archer Aviation, the company that is developing an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft called the Midnight, which is supposed to carry up to four passengers and a pilot, unveiled that the organizers of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, in 2028, have chosen it to be the official Air Taxi Provider for the event.

May 2025 has been a busy and exciting month for WestJet. Indeed, following a major investment from Delta Air Lines and Korean Air last week that saw the two SkyTeam members acquire respective stakes of 15% and 10% in the carrier, WestJet has now announced that it will be increasing its European connectivity. This will be done through a boosted codeshare deal with Air France and KLM.

Global Airlines has departed on its inaugural commercial flight across the Atlantic Ocean, with the airline’s Airbus A380 having left Glasgow Airport (GLA) for its trek to New York, the United States.

Singapore Airlines has announced that the 2024/25 financial year was a record-breaking one for the carrier as far as some of the key financial metrics were concerned. Most notably, the wider Singapore Airlines Group's profits and revenues were higher than they've ever been before, underlining a strong 12 months for the Asian giant. The carrier's fortunes were boosted by the Air India-Vistara merger.

The post-inauguration season has been turbulent for everyone, including the travel industry. Inflammatory remarks that have been fired from the White House, coupled with attention-grabbing headlines about travelers being detained upon their arrival, have shaken the international market in the United States.

Any perception of a threat to the safety of the aircraft and its occupants is taken seriously. Something similar happened recently at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, when a safety incident forced authorities to check the aircraft and even issue a brief ground stop.