Aviation News

JetBlue Airways' partnership ambitions might be crushed by its pilot union. The group has spoken out against a potential deal between JetBlueand United Airlines, claiming the company cannot launch the partnership under its contract with its pilots. While little is known about the partnership at this time, JetBlue has claimed it will follow any applicable provisions in its labor contracts.

On the evening of Tuesday, April 29, 2025, a total of three travelers were stopped at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) after attempting to pass through customs with a total of 155.7kg of khat. Khat, also known as 'norpseudoephedrine', or 'bushman's tea', is a natural amphetamine. The possession, sale and purchase of fresh khat is illegal in Germany, per the Narcotics Act. The Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt Airport) Customs Office pressed charges against one traveler, and denied entry to the other two.

Just a few days after news broke that American Airlines would be filing suit against JetBlue on account of their failed attempt at establishing a Northeast Alliance, the airline was reported at the end of the day on Friday to be filing a lawsuit against the City of Chicago over concerns at O'Hare International Airport (ORD). The first lawsuit related to the amount of time the airline had invested in the development of increased collaboration with JetBlue, especially in regions where the carrier was looking to grow its presence.

TenUS airports have Airbus A380 flights between May and September: Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Honolulu, Houston Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, San Francisco, and Washington Dulles. The start of Lufthansa's regular superjumbo service to Denver on April 30 helped, as will Qantas resuming double-decker flights to Dallas/Fort Worth on August 11. British Airways' A380s were flown to Dallas until March. When the carrier returns in the winter, flights will be on the A350-1000, but they'll be too short to make that type's 10 longest routes list.

Nine airlines currently fly the very long-range Airbus A350-1000: Air Caraïbes, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways (recently gained its sixth example), French bee, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Virgin Atlantic. With 24 active aircraft, the launch customer, Qatar Airways, has one in four flights, making it the largest user of the high-capacity equipment. It also operates the longest A350-1000 route, from Doha to Auckland.

Ryanair has threatened to cancel its orders for 330 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, valued at over $30 billion, if US-led tariffs cause a significant price increase. The airline’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, warned that the Irish low-cost airline would reconsider its current orders and explore alternatives, Reuters first reported on Tuesday.

The United States has become the latest country to send examples of the General Dynamics F-16 'Fighting Falcon' multirole fighter jet to Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing military action in the country. However, these aircraft won't see frontline service themselves, but, instead, will serve as a source of spare parts for other aircraft involved in the conflict. They made their way across the Atlantic last week.

Air Force One is arguably one of the most famous aircraft callsigns in the world. Applied to aircraft being used to transport the current President of the United States of America, it has become synonymous with the Boeing VC-25A, a modified example of the US manufacturer's iconic 747 of which the US Air Force flies two examples for such duties. However, these aircraft are now rather old.

Aer Lingus has US/Canada routes from three European airports: Dublin,Shannon, and Manchester. Helped by Indianapolis and Nashville joining its map in 2025, building on Denver and Las Vegas (along with the return of Minneapolis) last year, the Irish flag carrier's network has never been bigger. It has 21 summer routes, rising to 23 when winter is included.

Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, got a new connection to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City after JetBlue’s inaugural flight took off on Wednesday. The airline has been serving the Connecticut airport for 15 years, and connects it with several destinations.

Denver International Airport celebrated an exciting milestone recently with its first-ever nonstop flight to Rome, Italy, with United Airlines’ inaugural service. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner took off a little after 18:00 and was still flying at the time of writing.

American Airlines is continuing to expand its operations at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). It announced today that it will add seven new destinations from its third-largest hub as part of its Winter 2025-26 schedule. It also plans to increase the frequency on ten other existing routes from November.

On April 30, 2025, multiple major US-based airlines asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to extend cuts to minimum flight requirements at highly congested airports in the New York City area. The organization of airline industry representatives has requested that these cuts be made through October 2027, with the group citing severe air traffic controller staffing issues, according to reports from Reuters. In recent years, the demand for flights has far outpaced the growth of air traffic controller numbers, meaning that there has emerged a shortage of control tower staffers.

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 was forced to return to its origin airport on Wednesday, April 30, after the crew reportedly noticed an issue with the aircraft’s flaps. The aircraft was operating Flight DL1329 from Jacksonville to Atlanta and was forced to return to Jacksonville after a few minutes.

Since the start of the year, changes in US policies and renewed concerns around border procedures have contributed to a more cautious attitude among European travelers considering trips across the Atlantic. Several EU countries have issued updated travel advisories, and some European airlines are now reporting signs of weakening demand for US-bound flights.

A United Airlines Boeing 777-200 operating flight UA1731 from Kona International Airport (KOA), Hawaii, en route to Denver International Airport (DEN), diverted to San Francisco early Monday morning after the crew received an open-door indication while flying over the Pacific Ocean.

The number of measles cases in the United States has increased recently. While the infectious disease was declared eliminated in the country more than two decades ago, there have been significant outbreaks occasionally, with 50 or more cases.

Rolls-Royce has announced a key breakthrough regarding its Trent 1000 turbofan engines, which are used to power widebody commercial aircraft from the Boeing 787 'Dreamliner' twinjet family. Specifically, the British engine manufacturer is closing on on being able to certify a new blade for these engines, which it hopes will be able to double its time-on-wing. This is expected in the coming weeks.

Flying out of its main hub at Doha Hamad International Airport, Qatar Airways operates a diverse long-haul network using a wide variety of twin-aisle aircraft from both sides of the industry-dominating Airbus-Boeing manufacturing duopoly. The largest of these is the Airbus A380, of which, according to present fleet data made available by ch-aviation, it currently has 10 examples at its disposal.

JetBlue has resumed its seasonal transcontinental service between Hollywood Burbank Airport and New York JFK Airport. The carrier is using its Airbus A220 aircraft, and this route is among its longest for the aircraft type.