Aviation

In a statement to the BBC, JetBlue said: "The flight landed without incident, customers deplaned normally, and the plane was removed from service for a post-flight inspection, which found no damage or evidence of a collision."

American Airlines faces a mammoth $2.64 million annual fee to allow its workforce of more than 47,500 pilots and flight attendants to skip past regular TSA airport security screening, as the Department of Homeland Security introduces a new fee as part of the introduction of its ‘Crewmember Access Point’ program.

United Airlines faces a similar annual bill of $2.17 million, and Delta Air Lines will be charged around $1.95 million per year for its aircrew to access the program. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines will end up paying appoximately $1.38 million per year and JetBlue around $456,000.

Since 2011, pilots and flight attendants have been allowed to skip the regular passenger screening lane via a program called ‘Known Crewmember,’ which was set up as a joint initiative between the Air Line Pilots Association and industry trade group Airlines For America (A4A).

A flight that normally takes about 3½ hours turned into a 25-hour nightmare for a Wellington passenger after low cloud and strong winds meant his plane couldn’t land in the capital.

“We were told by the pilot that the Airbus A220 wasn’t good at landing in low cloud and wind,” Richard, who asked for his surname not to be used, said. “That’s not good for Wellington.”

On this day in aviation history, 81 years ago (June 28, 1945), the Cessna 140 took flight for the first time. The Cessna 120, an economy version of the 140, also first flew on this day 80 years ago, on June 28, 1946. These light general aviation taildraggers began to be produced immediately after the conclusion of the Second World War. Three main variants of the airframe were produced: the Cessna 140, 140A, and 120. The original Model 140 was fitted with a Continental C-85 engine of 85 hp. The fuselage was metal, while the wings were of wooden construction with metal control surfaces.

An American Airlines Airbus A319 bound for Bermuda aborted its takeoff at Miami International Airport(MIA) on Saturday evening, June 27, after the flight crew spotted a private aircraft on the same runway shortly after receiving takeoff clearance. The rejected takeoff prevented a potentially serious runway incursion, with the two aircraft coming within approximately one-third of a mile, or about 1,760 feet (536 m) of each other before the American jet came to a stop.

The incident involved American Airlines Flight 308, which was scheduled to operate from Miami to L.F. Wade International Airport (BDA) in Bermuda. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the crew rejected the takeoff at approximately 6:00 PM ET after observing another aircraft on the runway. No injuries were reported, and the flight later departed safely after the situation was resolved. The FAA has opened an investigation into the incident to determine how the runway conflict occurred.

The  Lockheed Constellation, affectionately known as the 'Connie,' is one of the most iconic aircraft of the golden age of aviation. With its triple-tail design, curvaceous fuselage, and powerful radial engines, the Constellation was a true milestone in the modern era of long-range air travel. But in 2026, how many of these jewels of aviation history remain airworthy? This article explores the last flying Lockheed Constellations, their importance, a brief history of the type, and how they continue to inspire aviation enthusiasts around the world.

JetBlue Airways told CNBC on Wednesday that it will close its flight attendant base at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and tech operations bases there and at LaGuardia Airport in New York this fall as it seeks to reduce costs and beef up service in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, though it noted that no staff will lose their jobs.

JetBlue said it is ending seasonal service between Newark and Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It said staff could bid or transfer to other bases.

Chinese private charter operator Deer Jet has become the launch operator for the Comac Business Jet (CBJ). The aircraft, registered in China as B-65A9, made an initial commercial flight between Shanghai Hongqiao Airport (ZSSS) and Beijing Capital (ZBAA) on Monday.

The CBJ, which is based on Comac’s C909 regional airliner, can carry up to 29 passengers in a cabin that is just more than 62 feet long. Deer Jet—the business aviation arm of airline and services group HNA Aviation—will base its CBJ bizliner in Shanghai.

A United Airlines passenger flew from Huntsville to Houston on Wednesday evening and had her own private jet. She was the only one onboard, aside from the crew. 

She describes one of the pilots as “such a goofy goober” and she got to visit the cockpit after the flight. She got her “own personalized pre flight announcements.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmus.org/post/23387985

A Boeing 777 widebody jet, which is due to be delivered to Qatar Airways Cargo in the coming days, performed a terrifying low flyby at the Horseshoe Bay Resort Airport in Texas on Wednesday, with aviation experts saying that the plane flew so low that it was just “inches from disaster.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.today/post/55491534

In yesterday’s discussion about Hawaiian’s planned replacement for the B717 on interisland trips, I mentioned how Southwest uses a model that flows airplanes from the mainland into the interisland operation. Today, I’m going to look more closely at how that is constructed.

The Airbus A350-1000ULR to be used on the routes will spend 70-75% of the year — particularly in the northern hemisphere summer — operating the conventional westbound flightpaths over the Middle East region.

But Qantas chief technical pilot Alex Passerini says the airline aims to use a “new and novel” route out of Sydney in the winter.

This would involve flying north across the Pacific, flying east of Japan and over northern Alaska, skirting just south of the North Pole, before heading south over Scotland to approach London from the north.

“The advantage of this is, obviously, the airspace constraints are a lot less,” says Passerini.

Delta Air Lines is installing drag-reducing finlets across its fleet of 240 Boeing 737-800s and -900ERs following an extensive in-service evaluation with developer Vortex Control Technologies that validated a 1.2% reduction in fuel burn from the modification.

To support the A320 Family production ramp-up trajectory, and following the recent expansions in Mobile and Tianjin, the opening of this second Toulouse line marks the achievement of Airbus’ strategic plan to have 10 final assembly lines covering the entire A320 Family and operational globally in 2026. This worldwide industrial network is split across four global sites, including four lines in Hamburg (Germany), two in Mobile (U.S.), two in Tianjin (China) and two in Toulouse (France).

In a June 17 public Transportation Research Board (TRB) meeting, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) personnel suggested the FAA did not adequately weigh the risks of a helicopter-on-helicopter collision when moving to eliminate helicopter routes and change airspace procedures to protect against close calls between rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft.

Instead, charting revisions are pushing helicopters closer together, making it harder for crews to train for proficiency and increasing the risk of helicopter controlled flight into terrain (CFIT), the USCG pilots said.

The FAA after the meeting pushed back on the USCG pilots’ assertions, contending that helicopters operating in the region actually faced more conflicts with each other when they had greater access to DCA airspace.

EASA ORDERS INSPECTIONS OF 16 AIRBUS A380S AFTER WING CRACKS DISCOVERED

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive requiring inspections of 16 Airbus A380 aircraft after cracks were found in structural components inside the wing.

The directive, published on June 22, follows a review of previous inspection results that identified cracks capable of affecting the wing's structural integrity. Airbus has been instructed to provide inspection procedures to operators of the affected aircraft.

The issue involves the wing mid spars, structural members located inside the wing. EASA said additional inspections are necessary to determine the extent of the problem and whether repairs will be required.

A Qantas flight from London to Perth has been forced to make an unexpected landing in a West Australian mining town after running into headwinds without enough fuel to complete its planned journey in one go. The 17-hour flight, QF10, was scheduled to land at Perth Airport at midday today, but instead diverted to Karratha Airport, about 1500 kilometres north in the Pilbara region.

Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury talks to Aviation Week Executive Editors Jens Flottau and Robert Wall about the next single-aisle aircraft and plans for defense, space and helicopters.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.today/post/55224256

Southwest Airlines Cuts 26 Routes From Busiest Airport in the World [Atlanta]

Southwest Airlines (WN) has significantly reduced its presence at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), cutting 26 routes when comparing schedules through June 2026 against those from July 2026 onward, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Despite these cuts, Southwest remains a major operator at ATL, ranking third for scheduled departures behind Delta Air Lines (DL) and Frontier Airlines (F9). The pullback reflects a broader network strategy as the carrier shifts away from point-to-point flying toward high-density stations.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today announced the launch of “Save a Life, Not a Bag”, a passenger safety campaign urging travelers not to take cabin baggage during an aircraft evacuation.

Supported by aviation safety regulators including the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the campaign reinforces what passengers must do when instructed to evacuate for their safety and the safety of all on board: follow crew instructions, leave all baggage behind, and move quickly to the nearest usable exit.

The majority of the participating teams arrived on special flights, either on planes featuring country-specific liveries or on charter flights operated by foreign airlines. In this post, we take a look at those flights to the United States, Mexico or Canada, according to our database.