Aviation News

New York John F. Kennedy International Airport is among the best-connected hubs in the United States. The airport serves as a major hub for both Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, and is also the largest base for hybrid carrier JetBlue Airways. Given it serves New York City, the largest city and one of the largest business centers in the United States, there is high travel demand for New York from destinations across the country and world.

Despite recent economic tensions between Canada and the United States of America, Porter Airlines still claims that Canadians are willing to travel to the United States. Despite various trends involving canceling US vacations and avoiding goods produced in the United States, the airline has yet to see a significant drop in demand for flights to America. While the carrier has seen some impact from the boycotts, it has not yet been severe enough to justify drastic changes.

London Heathrow Airport (LHR) is considering building a shorter third runway than originally planned in an effort to cut costs in its multibillion-pound expansion plan, according to a report by the Financial Times (FT).

Frontier Airlines announced that starting in 2026, it will operate out of Terminal 6 (T6) at New York JFK Airport

TUI Airways has made adjustments to its United Kingdom-outbound flight network during the upcoming summer season, removing 12 routes, including one long-haul flight, to various leisure destinations.

Spirit Airlines is reportedly planning to expand its route network by adding 28 new routes. However, as part of its updated schedule, the US-based low-cost airline will also discontinue service to five destinations.

Colombia's avianca has opened bookings for flights between Guatemala City and Miami, the United States, resuming a route that it has not served since July 2022.

For Emirates President Tim Clark, the Airbus A350-1000 is “of interest” according to a March 7 Aviation Week report. As Airbus is reluctant to restart the A380 production line and Boeing has problems preparing to deliver Boeing 777X aircraft, the A350-1000’s 480 maximum seating capacity coupled to fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent engines and 16,482 km (10,241) range make the A350-1000 interesting.

On Friday, global transport and logistics giant CMA CGM Group announced a $20 billion investment to contribute to the US maritime economy and support the transformation of America's domestic supply chain over the next four years. The Group has had a presence in the US for 35 years, and today, it operates in 40 states and employs 15,000 Americans.

A recent study from Barcelona, Spain's Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) found that airlines with more women in senior positions performed better both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, the study used criteria including capacity management, operational performance, and sustainability to compare the performance of 45 airline companies before and after the pandemic.

A critical element of running a successful airline is fleet management. With advancements in technology and efficiency continuing to improve today's next-generation aircraft, it is important that airlines maintain younger, fuel-efficient fleets. New jets help lower costs for airlines, which have to pay for less fuel, thus improving their profit margin per flight. Beyond the business case for newer jets, more fuel-efficient aircraft also reduce carbon emissions and require less fossil fuels.

In-flight incidents can be a cause of anxiety and stress for both passengers and crew. Despite this, disruptions and diversions due to technical issues are not uncommon. When they occur, flight crews must be prepared to calmly and swiftly divert to the nearest airport, ensuring that the safety of the passengers is not further threatened due to a technical failure. These technical issues can include urgent problems like engine failures, or more minor setbacks that still require checks.

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg made it clear at a company-wide meeting last week that the company's management culture needs a major change. Speaking to employees in St. Louis and via webcast to other Boeing locations, Ortberg acknowledged serious issues within the company, including poor communication and a disrespectful management culture.

Routes between London and the United States are some of the most lucrative in the world, particularly for premium travel. Load factors measure just how full planes are, and the US Department of Transport provides figures for that per month, per airline and per route. We take a look at the routes with the lowest and highest load factors for the 12 months ending November 2024 (as information for December is not available just yet).

Air Canada has made minor changes to its summer network, including the planned resumption of Tel Aviv flights.

Cathay Pacific has reworked some of its summer season routes, including removing some frequencies from Europe and North America.

In an interview with the Financial Times earlier this week, Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith discussed the impact of American tourists who are typically higher-spending, particularly when it comes to travel.

Lufthansa will operate Airbus A350s with the new Allegris cabin or Airbus A380s on all routes between Munich and the United States in the summer of 2025. This announcement comes alongside the German national carrier's release of its financial results for the full year of 2024.

United Airlines announced a significant milestone on Friday, revealing that it has successfully installed Starlink WiFi on its first regional aircraft. According to United, from May through the end of 2025, it plans to outfit more than 40 regional aircraft each month. By the end of the year, the airline hopes to have all of its two-cabin regional aircraft fully equipped with Starlink, United Airlines said in a press release.

The US is a critical country for passenger Boeing 747 flights. Air China, Korean Air, and Lufthansa will deploy the Queen of the Skies to the US this northern aviation summer, from March 30 until October 25, based on IATA slot seasons.