Aviation News

Airbus is getting into the amphibious firefighting manufacturing business with moving forward with partnering with HYNAERO on the Fregate-F100 turboprop firefighter. For Airbus, it’s filling a space in the range of aerial firefighting aircraft Airbus offers.

Labor contracts are a notoriously tense and difficult challenge to settle for airlines and their respective labor groups. In the past several years, airlines across America have signed major contracts that have given pilots, flight attendants, and ground staff improved benefits and compensation for their labor. Contracts are important, playing a major role in dictating company morale and financial performance.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday that it is enforcing permanent restrictions on non-essential helicopter operations around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C. This announcement came after a deadly midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines Flight 5342 in January.

Delta Air Lines will end its service between Los Angeles and Tahiti after June 7, 2025, according to Aeroroutes. The airline has officially closed all reservations for flights beyond this date, signaling that the seasonal route will not return as previously planned for the winter of 2025/26.

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) stated that the lost wheel of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight PK-306 had been found near the isolated parking space at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistani English-language newspaper Dawn reported.

Air Canada was forced to apologize after the map on some of the airline's narrowbody aircraft erased Israel. The live flight tracker, featured on Air Canada's seat-back entertainment system, reportedly excluded the country name from its map, causing controversy and outcry from some of the carrier's passengers. Air Canada and its map provider responded swiftly to the complaints, and the issue has since been resolved.

A United Airlines passenger was caught on video punching a gate agent at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). As a result, United Airlines has banned the individual and placed him on the no-fly list, according to a report by WUSA.

In December, Brussels Airlines announced changes to its Africa route network for the upcoming aviation summer season. The airline added plenty of capacity to its existing route network. Hidden beneath, though, was the carrier's decision to suspend flights between Brussels, Belgium and Luanda, Angola - its longest route. The aircraft on the route will be deployed elsewhere, facilitating additional expansion by bolstering frequencies on existing routes.

US airlines are pursuing further legal challenges following a US appeals court ruling that granted the Department of Transportation (DOT) the authority to establish rules for disclosing airline fees, according to a report by Reuters.

Lufthansa has continued to look to diversify its revenue income, exploring potential destinations in Asia, Africa, and South America to avoid being over-reliant on a single intercontinental market, namely North America.

With concerns about a supposed “kill switch” to the US President Donald Trump’s views on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO), the new Carney Administration in Canada is considering whether to continue F-35A purchases to replace their aging F/A-18A Hornets. Additionally, the Portuguese have decided to replace their aging F-16 Vipers with another fighter jet instead of the F-35. However, finding a fighter jet that does not have American avionics or engines severely limits these NATO nations’ options to the Saab JAS 39 Gripen and Dassault Rafale pictured above.

It seems that the sins of the past will keep coming for Boeing, with the US Federal Aviation Administration issuing a proposed directive that would require inspections of 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10 airliners to address excessive gaps in the front of the aircraft. The document was released this week and refers to nonconformances found in the forward pressure bulkhead.

The Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a nonprofit government watchdog organization, is urging the US Department Of Transportation's Office of Inspector General (OIG) to look into whether the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) violated federal conflict of interest laws in its dealings with Elon Musk's satellite communications company, Starlink.

Long Island MacArthur Airport,formerly called Islip (hence the IATA code ISP), will welcome its fifth airline—Avelo—in May. Avelo will operate three airport pairs that have not been served before. It follows the arrival of JetBlue in October 2024, the first time it has served MacArthur.

It might surprise you that LOT Polish will become Toronto's leading European airline by flights this summer. This is because it will offer a record 15 weekly departures—up to three daily flights—overtaking other carriers with 'only' 14 weekly services (double daily).

AEGEAN, the flag carrier of Greece, has ordered eight additional Airbus A321neo aircraft, bringing its total A320neo family aircraft commitments to 58, which includes already-delivered jets.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest federal employee union in the US and representing TSA workers, has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for ending collective bargaining.

The Swiss leisure carrier Edelweiss has taken delivery of its first—and the country's first—Airbus A350. The A350-900 is registered HB-IHF, is 5.3 years old, and is ex-LATAM. Flightradar24 shows that it arrived in Zurich—the only Swiss airport Edelweiss serves—from Lourdes, France, on March 13. It is scheduled to enter commercial service on April 1.

With Southwest Airlines departing from its age-old policy of two free checked baggage, there’s been a barrage of opinions on the matter. While many Southwest passengers who were used to this policy may feel dismayed, the carrier has assured that several other changes will continue to attract customers. Southwest has also decided to inject some humor into the development by referencing the recent Dallas Mavericks’ decision to part with its star player, Luka Doncic, in a social media post.

During the recent Air & Space Forces Association’s (AFA’s) 2025 Warfare Symposium, Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky offered a Subject Matter Expert or SME in David "Rum" Morgan to discuss the ongoing deployment of the United States Air Force’s newest rescue helicopter in the Sikorsky HH-60W Jolly Green II.