Aviation News

Preliminary reports from Air India flight 171 have identified that the two engine fuel control switches had been transitioned to CUTOFF, three seconds after the aircraft transitioned from the ground to the air. This subsequently resulted in the shutdown of both of the 11-year-old Boeing 787-8 engines. Cockpit voice recorders have witnessed the pilots questioning why the other switched it to CUTOFF, with the pilot in question responding that they hadn't touched it.

Boeing has begun production of the highly anticipated Boeing 777-8F, as it manufactured the first spar - a long beam that forms the critical load-bearing support for the aircraft’s wing. The freighter is starting to take shape and is still expected to enter the market in 2028.

FedEx Express will expand its feeder fleet by adding the world’s first converted ATR 72-600 freighter featuring a Large Cargo Door (LCD). On July 11, 2025, ACIA Aero Leasing signed a definitive agreement to sell the aircraft to FedEx.

Air China, Korean Air, and Lufthansa still have passenger Boeing 747 flights to the US. Obviously, the newer, larger, and heavier 747-8i is used much more frequently than the 747-400. Only Lufthansa still uses the -400 variant to the country.

Spirit Airlines has continued to push against the ‘Blue Sky’ agreement between JetBlue and United Airlines, calling the two airlines’ response, in essence, an attempt at a distraction from the anti-competitive nature of the partnership.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) plans to raise passenger fees as part of its £10 billion ($13.5 billion) expansion project, which aims to create additional capacity to accommodate 10 million more passengers by 2031.

On July 8, 2025, at Korean Air’s aircraft maintenance hangar in Incheon, the first “X-ble Shoulder” was delivered in a ceremonial handover event. Korean Air is the first official launch customer for the joint program between Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation. The new device is a wearable industrial robot developed by Hyundai and Kia’s Robotics LAB.

In the race for hypersonic weapons, the United States Air Force (USAF) is taking a giant leap forward by upgrading a long-neglected feature of the B-1B Lancer. The supersonic bomber already has the most versatile weapons array in the USAF strategic strike fleet. The newly modernized pylons will dramatically increase the bomber’s already unrivaled magazine depth.

American Airlines is giving travelers more routes to look forward to this winter. The Fort Worth-based carrier announced several new routes that will join the airline's robust North American network later this year, with a focus on growth at the airline's hubs at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Philadelphia International Airport. The new routes will connect these gateways to destinations in Latin America.

Seeking Alpha is reporting bad news for Embraer. After US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on all imported Brazilian goods, stock prices have been declining. This is because the tariffs, largely stemming from a dispute between the US and Brazil, threaten to make Embraer uncompetitive in the United States, its largest market.

After months of anticipation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) now has a permanent leader. On Wednesday, the US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump's nominee and former Republic Airways CEO, Bryan Bedford, as the new FAA administrator.

Arajet, the fledgling flag-carrier from the Dominican Republic, has signaled its intention to continue its rapid expansion into the US market. The airline launched its first US route to Miami earlier this year, and has quickly grown to five active routes with three more on the way in the coming months. It has now applied to its local aviation authority to add another 11 US routes.

Qatar Airways was the launch customer of the Airbus A350-1000, and it remains the largest user of the variant. According to ch-aviation, its first frame arrived in February 2018, with its most recent delivery taking place in July 2023. It now has 24 examples, averaging 5.6 years. They have either 327 or 395 seats.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Fire Free Forests (3F) aim to co-develop a next-generation firefighting platform based on the Boeing 767 converted freighter, giving the versatile widebody a new role in the aviation ecosystem. The companies aim to counter the growing global threat of wildfires.

Over the past year or so, SAS, the de facto flag carrier of the Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, has been making waves following the conclusion of its restructuring processes. The airline, which has a new ownership structure, left Star Alliance for SkyTeam, joining its potential majority shareholder Air France-KLM in the airline alliance on September 1, 2024.

Saudi Arabia’s low-cost carrier flynas will expand its route network by adding new flights to Moscow, Russia. The budget airline will launch inaugural flights to Russia’s capital on August 1, 2025.

The recently announced fiscal year (FY) 2026 budgetary request of the United States Air Force (USAF) has revealed plans to procure additional Boeing KC-46A Pegasus airborne tankers. Under the umbrella of the $32.6 billion modernization fund, more planes would be ordered and upgrades outfitted to existing jets. The 767-based jets are the latest tanker aircraft to join the US fleet, but it is still working through teething issues to achieve full mission capability.

The United States Navy’s shipbuilding program at Newport News in Virginia has pushed back the delivery dates of the next two Ford-class aircraft carriers by over 18 months. The USS Enterprise (CVN-80) is currently under construction at HII’s shipyard at Newport News will be delivered in September 2029 instead of the original March 2028 date.

American Airlines is adding a new destination to its route map. Starting in September, the airline will be connecting its hub at Philadelphia International Airport to Trenton, New Jersey, an airport that is currently only served by Frontier Airlines. But this is a connection with a difference, as the 42-mile route will operate three times a day using a bus service rather than regional aircraft.

British holiday airline Jet2.com has seen its shares drop sharply despite posting record figures for 2024-25. After reducing its summer seat capacity amid global industry uncertainty, the carrier's share price dropped by up to 8.4% as it experiences later-than-expected bookings for its Summer 2025 schedule.