Qantas Pilots Report Radio Interference and GPS Jamming From Chinese Warships

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Qantas pilots reported repeating radio interference and GPS jamming from Chinese military units in the South China Sea and the Philippine Sea. Qantas said there were no safety concerns and has instructed its pilots to keep flying on their routes despite the breach. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Japan Airlines Places an Order for 21 Boeing 737 MAX Jets

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — Boeing has emerged victorious in Japan, securing an order from the country's national carrier for 21 of its 737 MAX aircraft. The order comes as a surprise, as initial reports suggested that rival Airbus was the frontrunner. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Channel 9: How United Airlines Allowed Passengers To Listen To Live ATC Communications

When you're on board an aircraft, the only time you'll ever hear the pilots during the entire flight is when they use the public address system to make announcements and information about the flight or destination. As a frequent flyer, hearing the same generic statements can become quite dull. (www.msn.com) More...

Lufthansa Airbus A380s to Re-Enter Service From June 1, 2023

Lufthansa has finally announced firm dates for the reintroduction of its Airbus A380 aircraft. (www.gatechecked.com) More...

A second close call at Hollywood Burbank

The second close call in 30 days. This city has been fighting to close this airport because housing and businesses are bumping up against the airport perimeter. It doesn't leave the pilots much wiggle room if an emergency happens, and it's a relatively short runway to boot. (www.nbclosangeles.com) More...

The Power of Predictions: Deep Learning Neural Networks Make Debut at FlightAware

FlightAware is excited to announce the introduction of Neural Network powered predictive models for FlightAware Foresight. Adam Suarez, Director of Engineering for Aviation Insight at FlightAware, discusses these developments and shares insights into the Predictive Technologies team's current projects. (blog.flightaware.com) More...

Flight attendants want to ban lap babies on planes

When the seat belt light blinks on, every passenger buckles up except for one group of fliers: lap babies. Unrestrained children sharing a seat with their parents are exempt from the safety mandate, presenting a growing concern amid recent incidents of severe turbulence. ... Sara Nelson, the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. “The G-forces are not something even the most loving mother or father can guard against and hold their child. It’s just physically… (www.seattletimes.com) More...

The FAA Proposes Lengthening Cockpit Voice Recording Time to 25 Hours

The Federal Aviation Administration is working to establish a requirement that aircraft have longer duration cockpit voice recorders. The announcement comes after the agency held an emergency “safety summit” Wednesday following a series of near-collisions on US runways. (www.cnn.com) More...

An old Jet, Saved from the bone yard

In today’s video, we look at a somewhat uncommon aviation story, the story of an old aircraft being resurrected from the bone yard and made airworthy to fly once again. The plane in question an ex DHL Airbus A300 which I have seen many a time on my work tours of Kingman. N362DH serial number 84, was a nearly 44 year old Airbus A300B4-100 which started its life as HS-TGP when it was delivered to Thai Airways international in September 1979. In Oct 2000 it was delivered to DHL and converted to a… (www.youtube.com) More...

Slovakia donates 13 MiG-29 Aircraft to Ukraine

Slovakia has recently completed the transfer of 13 MiG-29 aircraft in which they have no use for. They are currently out of service, however Ukraine has what it takes to get them airworthy again amidst the war with Russia. (www.theguardian.com) More...

Senators Propose Raising US Commercial Pilots Mandatory Retirement Age

A group of seven U.S. senators on Tuesday proposed legislation to raise the mandatory commercial pilot retirement age to 67 from 65, in a bid to address airline industry staffing issues. (www.reuters.com) More...

Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary Reveals Talks Restarted with Boeing for New Aircraft Order

DUBLIN, IRELAND — In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Michael O'Leary, the Chief Executive Officer of Ryanair, expressed his optimism about the potential for a significant new aircraft order for the Irish budget carrier. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Two SpiceJet Pilots Suspended Over Photo Of Uncovered Cup Of Tea On Throttle Quadrant

Two SpiceJet pilots have landed themselves in hot water after one of them posted a photo showing an uncovered cup of tea perched on the middle of the throttle quadrant. (www.gatechecked.com) More...

Economy Passengers Could Soon Lie Down On Airplanes—Meet The Airline That's Doing It First

Economy flights practically guarantee a stiff neck, a child kicking the back of your seat and competition with your seatmate to claim the middle seat's armrests. One airline wants to cure to these traveling ailments: Air New Zealand recently announced the world's first lie-flat "pods" for economy class airplanes, set to debut in 2024. The concept, called "Skynest," has been in research and development for five years and will likely feature two rows of three stacked… (www.cnbc.com) More...

Lockheed Martin hints at existence of aircraft faster than SR-71 Blackbird

The SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance aircraft, famous for its top speed of Mach 3, was touted as the "fastest acknowledged crewed air-breathing jet aircraft" in a subsequent tweet by Lockheed Martin, with an emphasis on acknowledged. As you may recall from the movie, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell flies the Darkstar test jet at hypersonic speeds beyond Mach 10 before making a forced landing. (interestingengineering.com) More...

Vote on Biden's Pick to Run FAA Delayed

The fate of President Joe Biden's pick to run the Federal Aviation Administration is in doubt. The Senate Commerce Committee indefinitely postponed a scheduled vote on Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington, whose nomination has languished since Biden announced his choice July 2022. Major concerns were raised about the nominee's aviation industry experience. (www.usnews.com) More...

Pilot from another airline sets in to help incapacitated pilot

Good stuff that the public doesn't hear about much. (www.nbcnews.com) More...

8 Hours Plus: The World’s 5 Longest Boeing 737 MAX Flights This Summer

Long-haul narrowbody flights have always been controversial. Many argue that they're less comfortable than widebodies, although new technology plays a vital role in making cabins feel more spacious. A narrowbody flight has a far lower trip cost than that operated by a widebody. However, it has a higher seat-mile cost and higher cost per seat, but offset by fewer seats to fill. This balance partly depends on the extent of premium passengers and/or a lack of competition, but helping to… (www.msn.com) More...

Slovakia buys 14 F-16 jets from Lockheed Martin (2018)

Purchased for a total of around $1.8 Billion USD (or €1,667,502,000 with 3/22/2023 exchange rate) These were scheduled to be delivered in mid 2020s, but has been delayed to this year for delivery. (www.czdefence.com) More...

Think you could land a plane in an emergency? Here’s why you can’t.

Picture this: You are on a flight when you learn that the pilots have fallen ill and can no longer fly the plane. A voice comes over the public address system, asking for a volunteer to help land the aircraft. You have no experience, but you have seen “Airplane!” and “Snakes on a Plane.” Maybe you’ve frittered away hours on Microsoft’s Flight Simulator. You throw off your seat belt and march toward the cockpit, your cape rustling behind you. Hold on, hero. You might want to return to your seat… (www.seattletimes.com) More...

Southwest Airlines Expects Reduction in Boeing Aircraft Deliveries in 2023

DALLAS, TEXAS — Following discussions with Boeing and ongoing supply chain issues, the largest American low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines has revised its expectations for the number of aircraft deliveries in 2023, reducing it from 100 to around 90 copies. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Air Tanzania & Air Senegal Team Up To Take Action Over Airbus A220 Groundings

Air Tanzania and Air Senegal are collaborating to mitigate the challenges faced due to the grounding of their Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Several of their A220-300s have been grounded since November due to technical issues with the Pratt & Whitney engines. The Airbus aircraft is powered by PW1524G-3 engines, whose defects have affected all airlines operating similar models. The two airlines grounded the planes without a target date set for which they would return to service. This has resulted… (www.msn.com) More...

FAA And EASA Are Closer After Difficult Discussions

We were faced with five major tragedies: [the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, the Germanwings crash, the Boeing 737 MAX crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war]. (aviationweek.com) More...

FAA approves resumption of B787 Dreamliner deliveries

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — Boeing is set to resume the delivery of its 787 Dreamliners as early as next week following the resolution of an issue that caused federal regulators to suspend deliveries last month. The planemaker has reportedly tackled the concerns surrounding the forward pressure bulkhead - a crucial structure located behind the plane's nose. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the news via an official statement issued on Friday. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Bad luck hampers start of WestJet freighter operations

WestJet Cargo has been stymied by Boeing problems from getting its new freighters airborne. (www.freightwaves.com) More...

Pentagon wants upgraded Pratt & Whitney F135 engines for fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighters by 2030

The United States Department of Defense wants an upgraded F135 engine for the F-35 Lightning II fighter jets by the end of this decade. This was announced by a representative of the Joint Program Office F-35 (JPO). (gagadget.com) More...

After donating 13 MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine, the United States has offered Slovakia 12 helicopters

Slovakia has been offered 12 United States helicopters after giving 13 of their used MiG-29 Aircraft to Ukraine. (For more information on the transfer to Ukraine, visit: https://flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/unset/user/92254/Slovakia_donates_13_MiG_29_Aircraft_to_Ukraine ) (news.yahoo.com) More...

Pentagon probes lapse in Boeing security credentials for Air Force One - WSJ

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is scrutinizing why Boeing Co employees worked on current and future Air Force One planes without the security credentials required for the highly classified jets, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. Pentagon officials and Boeing have also been examining for how long the workers lacked current security credentials, the report said, citing an official and a person familiar with the matter. The report said the security lapse involved about 250 Boeing… (www.msn.com) More...

Lufthansa Commits To East Africa With More Nairobi Flights & New GM

The Lufthansa Group is reaffirming its commitment to East Africa by relocating the commercial responsibility for the passenger service back to Kenya. The group has appointed a new General Manager for the East African region stationed in Nairobi, Kenya. The airline will further increase its presence in Kenya by adding more flights from Frankfurt, while Swissport will offer more services to the German flag carrier in Nairobi. An experienced General Manager for East Africa Effective March 1,… (www.msn.com) More...

Russia flies strategic bomber planes near Japan as its PM visits Ukraine

March 21 (Reuters) - Two Russian strategic bomber planes flew over the Sea of Japan for more than seven hours, the Russian defence ministry said on Tuesday in a statement released as Japan's prime minister was beginning a visit to Ukraine. The Tupolev Tu-95MS planes are capable of carrying nuclear weapons and Moscow regularly flies them over international waters in the Arctic, North Atlantic and Pacific as a show of strength. (www.reuters.com) More...

Indianapolis Targets Transatlantic Service

Securing a nonstop transatlantic link remains high on the agenda for Indianapolis International Airport (IND) as traffic continues to climb back to 2019 levels, air service development director Maggie Bishop has told Routes. (aviationweek.com) More...

Delta Releases Holiday Schedule to Caribbean, Latin America

For travelers looking to get a head-start on booking holiday season travel, your list of warm-weather options for just got a bit longer. Delta recently announced an increase in its flight capacity to Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean for the 2023 holiday season. The 20% increase in available seats will make it the largest Latin America holiday schedule the airline has ever offered. At the peak, the airline will be offering 25,000 daily outbound seats to 44 different destinations across… (www.msn.com) More...

Cathay Pacific in Talks to Expand Fleet with up to 50 Airbus Planes

HONG KONG — Sources who spoke to Bloomberg anonymously have revealed that Cathay Pacific is currently in discussions with aircraft lessors to acquire up to 50 Airbus A320neo airliners as the Hong Kong-based carrier seeks to expand its fleet following the easing of Covid-related restrictions. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

Icelandair To Fly Year-Round To Raleigh-Durham International Airport

Icelandair began nonstop service from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Reykjavik-Keflavik Airport in Iceland in May of last year. The airline stopped the service during the winter months and only flew seasonally. However, starting this upcoming May, Icelandair will start nonstop service year-round from Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina to Reykjavik in Iceland. (www.msn.com) More...

Delta Air Lines Launches Propel Flight Academy

Delta Air Lines, through its Propel Pilot Career Path Program, is launching a new pilot academy that will train the carrier’s next generation of aviators and address the pilot shortage in the country. On Tuesday, Delta and Skyborne Airline Academy announced they are opening their doors to their first class of students in June and are accepting applications from interested candidates. The next generation of aviators Delta Air Lines, in partnership with Skyborne Airline Academy, is launching the… (www.msn.com) More...

Flying this summer? Get ready for cramped seating

The start of the summer travel season is only a few weeks away, but people in the know have already identified the most pressing problem: dangerously cramped airline seats. ... Mike Heck, vice president of supplier solutions for Fox World Travel, predicts passengers who haven’t flown in a while will be shocked to see the reduction in seat pitch and width. (www.seattletimes.com) More...

Lufthansa moves cargo chief von Boxberg to run Brussels Airlines

Lufthansa is shuffling executives to run Brussels Airlines. (www.freightwaves.com) More...

Air Safety in Perspective

New in Ask the Pilot: A spate of incidents puts airline safety in the spotlight. Here's some perspective. (askthepilot.com) More...

Cargo influences British Airways to use big jets on European hops

The cargo team at British Airways is substituting some large planes on intra-European routes for cargo reasons. (www.freightwaves.com) More...

U.S. Air Force to test hardware at hypersonic speeds on Varda’s space capsules

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force plans to use startup Varda Space Industries’ reentry capsules as hypersonic flight test platforms, the company’s cofounder Delian Asparouhov told SpaceNews. Varda has been raising venture funds to send to orbit 120-kilogram “factory” satellites to make products in zero-gravity and return them to Earth in a reentry capsule. (spacenews.com) More...