Aviation News

Virgin Atlantic has confirmed that it will not be returning to Tel Aviv, Israel, with the airline emphasizing its codeshare agreement with EL AL, which offers direct connections between London and Tel Aviv, Israel.

Lufthansa Group has announced its Q1 results, detailing that all of its passenger airlines were loss-making, which does not include ITA Airways. The Italian carrier’s performance was accounted for as operating results from equity investments, which worsened year-on-year (YoY).

The mass shooting in Kashmir last week had many consequences. Aviation-wise, Pakistan temporarily prohibited Indian airlines from overflying its country. While the ban is due to end on May 23, airlines must detour, adding time to the affected journeys, more fuel burn, higher operating costs, higher emissions, more complications, etc. Foreign airlines are not banned from overflying Pakistan, so they gain a brief competitive advantage from quicker and less expensive trips.

As of 2023, most of the world’s airports had seen significant recovery in passenger numbers compared to 2019, but revenue lagged behind. According to a report by Airports Council International (ACI), passenger traffic recovered to 94.6% of 2019, while revenue had only recovered up to 88.6%.

Unless you’re in premium classes, ultra-long-haul flights—of up to 19h 15m—might be unappealing. That is less of a problem for the first and second entries: Singapore Airlines’ services from New York JFK and Newark back to Singapore. They use 161-seat Airbus A350-900ULRs, which only have business and premium economy cabins. Note that due to 'only' being blocked at up to 16h 40m, Cathay Pacific's new Dallas/Fort Worth operation is far from long enough to be included.

Finnair has announced that, due to its ongoing dispute with its pilots’ union, the airline will have to furlough 36 pilots operating long-haul flights from the end of September until at least May 2026, with the Finnish airline reducing the number of wet-lease routes that it operates on behalf of Qantas.

The latest schedule update shows that Norse Atlantic has removed three winter US routes: Athens to New York JFK, Berlin to JFK, and Paris CDG to Los Angeles. It might not have intended to operate them all anyway, especially not Athens to JFK, a summer market, but it had scheduled them. Barring any additions, its December-February US flights have fallen 52% year-on-year.

As the investigation continues into the fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January this year, several new developments are being reported that help understand the complex chain of events that led to the two aircraft colliding over the Potomac River.

Etihad Airways has revealed a range of exciting details regarding how it plans to configure its incoming Airbus A321LR twinjets. While some passengers have expressed concerns that such narrowbodies will not be able to replicate the luxury of twin-aisle aircraft, particularly when it comes to premium cabins, the UAE flag carrier has looked to allay these fears with lie-flat luxury in business and first class.

Earlier today, large parts of Spain and Portugal were hit by major power cuts that have brought certain aspects of life to a standstill. From traffic lights not working to tennis tournaments having to be suspended, the severe outage has brought significant disruption to the Iberian Peninsula.

Following the delivery of its first long-range Airbus A350-900, Emirates has confirmed that it will operate flights to Adelaide, Australia, one of the airline’s five destinations in the country, replacing the Boeing 777-200LRs currently flying to the destination.

Airbus has signed a definitive agreement with Spirit AeroSystems, paving the way for the European plane maker to take ownership of up to six sites and acquire the wing production facility in Prestwick, Scotland.

United Airlines reportedly plans to schedule a second daytime flight on the transatlantic corridor between Newark International Airport (EWR) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) in the United Kingdom. According to a report by AeroRoutes, the changes to the flight schedule will take place during the winter season, specifically on October 25, 2025.

Korean Air is expanding its A380 services between Incheon International Airport (ICN) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), responding to rising travel demand. Currently, the airline flies Boeing 747-8 for its 14 weekly flights between Seoul and Los Angeles, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company. However, this will change in June as the Airbus A380-800 returns to service.

United Airlines has filed two new international routes from Denver, with the carrier adding flights to Mexico City, Mexico, and Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic, both operated by the Boeing 737 MAX 8.

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation into the British Airways Boeing 777-300ER incident. On April 26, 2025, the widebody aircraft reportedly experienced a bird strike and reported fumes in the cabin afterward.

KLM has announced its return to Barbados, with the Dutch airline once again offering a direct connection to the Caribbean country from October 26, returning to the destination it had served until March 2023.

STARLUX Airlines is reportedly planning to expand its international network with new destinations in the United States in early 2026, according to a report by ETtoday, first seen by Ishrion Aviation. The news comes as the Taiwanese carrier awaits the delivery of its new Airbus A350-1000 widebody aircraft, which will open up new opportunities to launch routes to the United States.

American Airlines and Iberia have expanded their codeshare agreement on intra-European routes from Madrid, Spain, with the de facto flag carrier of Spain carrying the United States-based airline’s flight codes on four additional routes to other European cities.

United Airlines has made headlines recently for its creative and bold network additions. However, it appears to be making some adjustments to its flight schedule. The Chicago-based carrier has cut flights between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Tenerife South Airport (TFS) early next year, and it is unclear if this indicates a complete exit from the market or a temporary seasonal pause.