Aviation News

Everyone knows that Atlanta is the world's busiest airport by passengers and Delta Air Lines'leading hub. According to the airport's latest statistics, it had 108.1 million passengers in 2024, about 296,000 daily. While it was one of seven years with 100+ million passengers, the recovery continues: traffic was down by 2.2% compared to before the pandemic in 2019.

Southwest Airlines' results have indicated that its revenue initiatives and performance are working, according to the carrier’s chief executive, allowing the company to end 2024 with record-breaking revenues.

Love them or not, regional jets play a critical role in US aviation. Examining every planned service using Cirium Diio data shows the country will have 7,000+ daily RJ flights in February. That is more than one in four of the total (28%), although there is, of course, a higher proportion domestically (30%). Inevitably, American Eagle is by far the largest operator, with Envoy Air and PSA being the two key providers on a capacity purchase agreement basis.

Late evening on January 29, an American Eagle flight, operated by PSA Airlines, and a United States Army (USA) helicopter collided east of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), claiming the lives of 67 people: 64 onboard the Mitsubishi CRJ700 and three onboard the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

More than 35 airlines have passenger flights between the US and Europe. In addition to carriers from those places, there is Air Tahiti Nui with its fifth freedom Papeete-Los Angeles-Paris CDG service, Emirates with Dubai-Milan Malpensa-New York JFK and Dubai-Athens-Newark, and Singapore Airlines with Singapore-Manchester-Houston. However, the latter service—the world's longest one-stop link—will end soon.

Last night's tragedy involving American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter has taken a turn for the worse after authorities said emergency responders are now shifting from rescue to recovery mode. The collision put an end to US commercial aviation's 16-year streak of no fatal crashes, the last being the 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in New York.

Wizz Air has announced its Q3 FY25 results, detailing that Airbus made adjustments to the carrier’s delivery schedule. This forced the airline to slash its fleet forecast by 75 aircraft at the end of FY28 in March 2028.

The gateway to Disney World is getting a new baggage handling system. Florida's Orlando International Airport confirmed it is spending more than $650 million to make baggage handling more efficient over the next several years as it continues to grow at record levels.

United Airlines has made history by welcoming its 1,000th mainline aircraft and becoming the world's largest carrier by mainline fleet size. Registered N77584, the 1,000th aircraft was a Boeing 737 MAX 9,whose delivery was from Seattle Boeing Field to Seattle Tacoma. It came a few days after sistership N77587, which flew from Seattle Boeing Field to Portland.

Lufthansa has finally firmed up its acquisition of a 10% stake in Riga-based Latvian flag carrier airBaltic. The move, which was announced on Wednesday evening, follows rumors of the same that emerged back in October. The latest acquisition also follows Lufthansa's continued interest in expanding its reach across Europe through investments, with the recent finalization of the purchase of 41% of Italian flag carrier ITA Airways as a testament to this.

An abandoned Volkswagen (VW) Golf has racked up over $200,000 in parking fees after being parked at Berlin Brandenburg Airport for over a year. The car has now been towed away, but the owner and/or driver is yet to be identified.

Between February and June 2025, an average widebody flight will have 307 seats and will cover 2,680 nautical miles (4,964 km). Inevitably, much attention is given to very long-haul services, especially as they push boundaries, including range, economics, competitiveness, and passenger experience. In contrast, the use of very high-capacity aircraft for short services is far less discussed. That's despite being relatively uncommon, which only adds to the intrigue.

Boeing's executives outlined that the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 7, MAX 10, and 777X will be the main focus of 2025, with no change in the previously communicated certification timelines.

Over 35 passenger airlines fly between Europe and East Asia. Cirium Diio data shows that flights remain down by 9% compared to before the pandemic in 2019, mainly due to China's continuing recovery. However, on a typical day in 2025, there are 174 take-offs.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has returned the rule regarding the disclosure of airfare fees upfront to the Department of Transportation ( DOT) following a legal challenge by three airline associations and eight US-based carriers.

Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines have disclosed that on January 7, the latter proposed an acquisition of the latter, which Spirit Airlines eventually rejected, calling the offer “woefully insufficient financially,” among other things.

Sean Duffy has been officially sworn in as the Secretary of Transportation of the United States following his approval by the US Senate, with the official now leading the Department of Transportation (DOT) during a challenging era for US airspace.

For anyone who isn't an aviation enthusiast, flying commercially is almost always a stressful experience. This is due to aspects such as arriving three hours before your flight, navigating a big, confusing international airport, and sitting in an economy class seat that feels like it's getting smaller every time you fly.

United Airlines has European flights from seven hubs. Like many carriers, its transatlantic operation is heavily summer seasonal to capitalize on the higher demand and fares. Cirium Diio data shows that it has an average of 51 daily take-offs to Europe in January 2025, against 105 planned in August.

Star Alliance carrier United Airlines has extended its lead as the world's largest airline in terms of fleet size with the historic delivery of its 1,000th aircraft. The Boeing 737 aircraft was delivered this week, making the carrier the first airline worldwide to operate more than one thousand planes.