Aviation News

The Trump administration is preparing to accept a luxury Boeing 747-8 as a gift from the royal family of Qatar, according to multiple reports. Once received, the jumbo jet is reportedly expected to be upgraded to serve as a new Air Force One, despite questions being raised over the legalities of the matter.

United Airlines will expand its international route network with a new nonstop direct service between Tokyo, Japan, and Koror, Palau, starting in October 2025. With this new route and its existing services, United Airlines remains the largest and the only carrier in the United States serving this small island nation.

Air Canada has announced a significant expansion of its winter schedule for the 2025-26 season. The airline is launching 13 new routes and four entirely new destinations across Latin America and the Caribbean. This marks its most extensive seasonal network to the region, with 16% more seat capacity than last winter.

Delta Air Lines is reportedly planning to operate its entire continental transpacific route network with its fleet of Airbus A350-900 widebody aircraft. While much of Delta’s transpacific network is already operated by its A350s, some routes are still served by Airbus A330neos and have yet to be replaced.

Saudia, Saudi Arabia's national air carrier, recently announced details of how it will accelerate its fleet and network expansion plans. Some big moves are coming, including major aircraft orders and pushing new innovative technology into service. This strategy aims to strengthen its position even as the pressure of tariffs from the United States takes a toll on Gulf industries.

The UAE national carrier Emirates has pushed back against concerns over weakening US-bound travel, stating that demand on its American routes remains strong. The airline’s Chairman and CEO, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said that the Dubai-based airline has not seen any drop in bookings for travel to or from the US, the Financial Times reported.

Australian low-cost carrier Jetstar, a subsidiary of the Qantas Group, has announced its intention to cease its direct service between Sydney and Honolulu by the end of October. This comes as the carrier also shelved its Melbourne to Honolulu service, which was suspended on April 30.

Despite challenging market conditions and recession fears wreaking havoc on the commercial aviation industry, Delta Air Lines looks to be steadying the course, expanding its route network despite signs that transatlantic travel demand could weaken this upcoming summer. The airline is continuing to launch new routes to destinations all across the globe, and it is also expanding connectivity between its hubs in the United States and many of the destinations that it already serves.

Icelandairwill be sticking around in Nashville longer than originally planned. The carrier has extended service to Nashville International Airport through early January 2026, lengthening the life of a route originally created as a summer seasonal service. As demand for transatlantic flying continues to soar, Icelandair seems eager to position itself for success through its US offering.

A project to expand the South Terminal at Miami International Airport(MIA) is underway, according to a press release by The Next Miami. The Miami-Dade commissioners are set to review two design-build price proposals for the South Terminal next week, according to a memo. The cheapest of these proposals has a maximum total contract amount of around $600 million, including all contingencies and allowances.

On Monday, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines will launch a new route between Seattle and Tokyo. The new route will be operated by a Hawaiian Airlines Airbus A330 aircraft, which will fly daily to Narita Airport. It will become the group's first new long-haul route from Seattle. Thanks to the merger between the two airlines, approved by the US Department of Transport in September last year, Alaska Airlines is able to launch widebody operations through Hawaiian's Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 fleet. Flights between Seattle and Seoul are set to begin later this year.

American Airlines is extending its nonstop, seasonal service between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Rome, Italy. The route, which is typically operated seasonally, will be flown through January of next year. As transatlantic demand remains strong, American is likely positioning itself for enhanced profits even as economic uncertainty looms.

As competition in the United States' domestic market continues to intensify, American Airlines is making a bold move to win over frequent fliers loyal to other airlines. The carrier is now offering a status match for JetBlue's Mosaic 3 and 4 members, giving the loyal JetBlue customers the chance to experience American's best loyalty tier. The airline already offers existing opportunities for elite members of other carriers to trial American's loyalty program.

Qantas' Airbus A380 superjumbo, registered as VH-OQH, has returned to service after two months of heavy maintenance, bringing the total number of active A380s in the fleet to eight. According to Flightradar24.com, the aircraft had been at the Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW) maintenance facility in Dresden since March 1, 2025, and resumed operations with a flight to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) on May 8, 2025.

Despite generating a profit in the first quarter of 2025, British Airways faced some massive costs as a result of the temporary closure of its London Heathrow Airport hub. The disruption occurred after a fire broke out at an electrical substation that provides electricity for Heathrow Airport. As a result, the facility experienced a power outage that closed the entire airport for a day.

After over a week of brutal delays and other incidents at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), airlines and aviation regulators have decided to meet to plan additional flight cutbacks at the airport to prevent further incidents from arising. According to Bloomberg, these private discussions are an immediate response to multiple incidents in which radar systems broke down at the airport over the past week, leaving air traffic controllers blind.

TAP Air Portugal will be launching two new routes to the United States next week. The first, a flight connecting the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, with Los Angeles, will be the company's longest non-stop route across the Atlantic and also across its entire network. The second flight will connect Portugal's second-largest city, Porto (OPO), with Boston (BOS). This will become TAP Air Portugal's shortest route to the United States. It is not the airline's shortest long-haul route overall, though.

After a week of brutal delays, flight cancellations and negative attention, the struggles plaguing Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) continue. One of the largest airports serving the New York Area, the facility is a major gateway for passengers traveling on United Airlines (which operates a major hub there) and for cargo headed to the region. After a major air traffic control (ATC) outage last week, radar screens again went black in the early hours of the morning on Friday, May 9.

A Spanish court has ruled that Ryanair must refund $165 (€147) to a passenger for hand luggage charges on five flights between 2019 and 2024. The ruling is based on the court’s determination that hand luggage is an essential part of air travel and should not incur additional fees.

A mother and son duo have made history at Alaska Airlines, becoming the first mom-and-son pilot team to fly a commercial flight for the airline. The two pilots flew from Seattle to Kahului, Maui, last week, marking a unique milestone.