Aviation News

Currently, Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways operate between the Middle East and Australia. On June 12, Virgin Australia will join them, in partnership with Qatar Airways. It will utilize the Australian half of traffic rights to/from Qatar, all of which are presently unused. It will do so on Qatar Airways' behalf, as a backdoor way of expanding into the valuable and competitive long-haul market.

Alaska Airlines announced non-stop flights between Seattle and Seoul back in March. As Alaska currently does not own any long-range airliners, flights were to be operated by Hawaiian Airlines, using an Airbus A330-200. However, as first reported by Ishrion Aviation on BlueSky, the route will now use a Hawaiian Boeing 787-9 instead, with flights commencing on September 12th, 2025.

More than three decades after Pan American World Airways ceased operations, its name may be preparing for a return to commercial aviation. As reported by AirlineGeeks, Pan Am Global Holdings, which manages the brand’s intellectual property, confirmed on Thursday, June 5, that it has partnered with aviation merchant bank and consulting firm AVi8 Air Capital to explore the feasibility of reviving Pan Am as a scheduled passenger airline.

The United States President, Donald Trump, has just signed an executive order to repeal the decades-old ban restricting supersonic flights over the US. This decision will mark a gigantic shift in the current aerospace policy and should clear the way for a new era of potential high-speed commercial travel across the country.

JetBlue has been quick to note its interest in expanding its route network to include new destinations, and this week the carrier announced flights to one of its most exciting cities yet. On June 5, Boston-based hybrid carrier JetBlue announced that it would be adding new nonstop services between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) to its summer schedule. These flights are seasonal, meaning that they will exclusively operate during the summer months.

Delta Air Lines has warned that the Trump administration's tariffs on imported aircraft and parts could force the airline to suspend current orders and halt future purchases of foreign-made aircraft from Airbus. The knock-on effect could lead to the elimination of flights that serve up to 10 million passengers a year. This would undoubtedly have a profoundly negative impact on the US economy.

Southwest is the fourth-largest airline serving the US. Analyzing all of its scheduled services shows 4,194 daily movements in June (takeoffs and landings combined). Denver has more of them than any other airport, directly influenced by over half of its traffic there connecting to another flight.

ITA Airways hopes to boost profitability by launching over a dozen new long-haul routes, according to Corrieri Della Sera. These intercontinental routes are under consideration to begin flying over the next five years. They are believed to be departing from Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) to destinations in the US, Asia, and Africa.

Wizz Air is planning to grow capacity by around 20% in the year to March 2026, even as engine issues continue to sideline part of its fleet. The European low-cost carrier outlined its expansion plans alongside fiscal year 2025 (FY25) results on June 5, which showed a sharp drop in profits as around 20% of its fleet remained grounded due to ongoing Pratt & Whitney GTF engine issues.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will suspend airline operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on the evening of Saturday, June 14, to accommodate a military parade in Washington DC. The parade will be in celebration of the Army’s 250th birthday, and also coincides with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.

They had approximately 256 million round-trip international passengers between March 2024 and February 2025. This is based on analyzing the US Department of Transportation data and combining every airline, airport pair, and route. While it should not be considered in isolation, the average international load factor was 83.2%, marginally lower than for the country's vast domestic market.

According to data from Flightradar24, Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORH), one of the busiest domestic and international airports in the United States, saw widespread disruption on Wednesday, June 4. The airport recorded 1,001 delayed flights yesterday, the highest total of any airport in the world.

Icelandair has temporarily ceased flying Boeing equipment between Keflavik and Seattle. The last Boeing 757-200 left Iceland on June 3, with the carrier's triple daily summer operation fully aboard the much newer and more efficient Airbus A321LR the following day. The 757 is due to return on December 18. The 737 MAX 8 was last deployed to Seattle on April 4, while the carrier's sole widebody type, the 767-300ER, was last used on May 19.

In a report posted by Ryanair Investor Relations, passenger numbers dating back to 2011 were listed, and judging from a comparison of the fiscal year thus far, Ryanair may be in for one of its busiest Summers to date. The airline is on track to serve more than 200 million customers in the 2025 fiscal year.

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, issued a proclamation saying that he would completely ban the entry of citizens from 12 countries, and severely limit individuals’ ability to obtain visas from seven countries. The ban on citizens from a dozen countries traveling to the US is expected to have limited impact, considering the number of people who arrived in the country in 2025.

In the past two days, Spirit Airlines has launched several new routes, bringing its services to Chattanooga, Tennessee, for example, with the low-cost carrier launching flights from the state’s border city to Fort Lauderdale, Newark, and Orlando. These are the airline’s latest routes and one of three new cities on its route map in 2025, which includes Columbia, South Carolina, a city it had served in 2008 and 2009.

Finnair is preparing for more disruptions this month as union-led strikes are set to impact ground operations at Helsinki Airport. The Finnish Aviation Union has announced strike action for June 17 and 19, with each involving a separate shift window. As a result, the airline is offering passengers traveling on those days an option to reschedule their flight at no extra cost.

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 operating a flight from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) was forced to divert to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) after the crew experienced an issue with the aircraft’s flaps.

The peak summer season, with the highest demand and fares, is fast approaching. In June, 15 routes will take off from the US and Canada to Europe (no routes will begin to Africa, the Middle East, etc., this month). Some of them have already started, including the first flight ever from Switzerland to Seattle. To make it even more notable, Edelweiss uses the Airbus A340.

A ground halt has been implemented at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) by the FAA because of a lack of personnel. The stoppage comes as runway testing is wrapping up for certification by June 10.