U-2 Spy Plane Takes on a New Surveillance Mission

The U.S. Air Force is investing more than $50 million to keep one of its oldest types of airplanes flying indefinitely. Despite its age, the U-2 remains an immensely capable reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft. Its combination of high-altitude flight capability and range still exceed those of most modern tactical and command-and-control aircraft, making it a more effective intelligence gatherer and data “node”—a high-capacity channel for passing along the information its sensors collect. (www.scientificamerican.com) More...

Air India Express 737-800 Carrying Crashed at Kozhikode

Air India Express flight IX1344 737-800 overran the runway at Kozhikode (CCJ), India, broke apart after falling down an embankment. (kokpitherald.com) More...

Delta Boeing 777 Flight Forced To Divert As Pilot Gets Incapacitated

A Delta Boeing 777 made a rare appearance in Moncton, Canada, after the first officer became incapacitated midflight. (simpleflying.com) More...

A New Airfield In Antarctica? Australia Is Gearing Up To Build One

Antarctica’s first paved runway has moved a step closer to reality. Australia is moving forward with plans to build a 2,700-meter paved runway near its Davis research station in the Vestfold Hills. The Australian Government has now put the multi-million dollar project out for competitive tender. (simpleflying.com) More...

How Rain Caused An Airbus A220 Engine To Shut Down

Transport Canada issued an airworthiness directive late last week for operators of the Airbus A220. It follows a problem with water dripping into the forward avionics bay. Operators of the A220 have 12 months to comply. Otherwise, they will not be able to operate the A220 in Canada. (simpleflying.com) More...

United To Ban Passengers Who Don’t Wear Masks In The Airport

From 24 July, United customers must wear a face-covering in more than 360 airports where the airline operates around the world. If they fail to comply, “they may be refused travel and banned from flying United,” said the company. (simpleflying.com) More...

Nepal Airlines Grounds Its Chinese Built Aircraft

Nepal Airlines will no longer operate all of its Chinese aircraft. This includes two Xian MA60s and four Harbin Y12s. The planes in question have not proven to be beneficial and are viewed as a liability. (simpleflying.com) More...

Air Canada Rouge to Operate Transatlantic A321 Services Once B767 Retired

The Air Canada Group winds down its use of the Boeing 767. Air Canada Rouge was launched in 2013 using four aircraft. Two of those aircraft were 767-300s, and they were used to fly as far afield as Edinburgh, Venice, and Athens. At its peak, Air Canada Rouge was operating 25 Boeing 767-300 planes. (simpleflying.com) More...

Hi Fly’s Airbus A380 Causes Panic & Joy After Flying Just 230m Above Coastline

The A380, registered as 9H-MIP, flew just 230 meters above the Algarve coastline in a stunt that impressed many keen aviation enthusiasts. The Portuguese charter airline said the performance was planned and intended to raise awareness as well as give planespotters a treat. (simpleflying.com) More...

Boeing faces financial drag from dozens of undelivered 787 jets

BOEING Co is running out of space to stash newly-built 787 Dreamliners. Dozens of the planes are sitting on the company's premises. (www.businesstimes.com.sg) More...

Fourth Incident For United Boeing 787-9 In One Week

The aircraft was operating flight UA2860 from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport (FCO) to the carrier’s hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). Interestingly, this was the third incident for the aircraft in the last week. Twice, on July 2nd, the same 787-9 returned to Tokyo over an issue with leading edge flaps. (simpleflying.com) More...

Cargolux Reveals Special Mask Livery On A Boeing 747

Cargolux Airlines has today revealed a Boeing 747 with a new coating. The special livery has a mask on the nose of the aircraft where the cargo loading door is with the straps leading back to the airline’s name painted across the fuselage. It is quite an iconic livery that accurately sums up the times. (simpleflying.com) More...

airBaltic Sees An Enormous Surge In New Bookings

In the past two weeks, airBaltic’s bookings increased by nearly 500% compared to the first full week of May. (simpleflying.com) More...

Russia’s Aeroflot Secretly Carries Passenger Abroad Under Guise of Cargo

Russian Airlines, commonly known as Aeroflot, has been secretly operating exclusive luxury flights abroad for approximately a month despite Russian Government’s international travel ban (airlinegeeks.com) More...

Federal Prosecutors Investigating Whether Boeing Pilot Lied to F.A.A.

In questions before a grand jury, prosecutors have focused on whether a top pilot misled regulators about new flight control software in the 737 Max plane. (www.nytimes.com) More...

Swift Air Boeing 737 Lands In San Diego With Tail Parts Missing

Landing at San Diego International Airport, a Swift Air Boeing 737-800 was spotted landing with part of its vertical stabilizer missing. (simpleflying.com) More...

JetBlue Continues Commitment to Blocking Middle Seats, Strengthens Face Covering Policy

JetBlue is strengthening its face covering policy to prohibit masks with vents or exhalation valves, and will no longer allow customers to claim exemptions from wearing a face covering altogether. (kokpitherald.com) More...

JetBlue Reveals Its First Ever Airbus A220

JetBlue today revealed its first Airbus A220 to the world. (simpleflying.com) More...

The Emirates Airbus A380 is back !

Emirates announced that it will slowly restart A380 operations. It currently owns a staggering 115 Airbus A380 passenger aircraft. (insideflyer.com) More...

Airbus delivers 24 aircraft during zero-order May

Airbus delivered four long-haul aircraft – two A350-900s to Air France and Lufthansa Technik, plus two A350-1000s to British Airways and Etihad Airways. Airbus handed over 20 single-aisle aircraft including five A321neos, 12 A320neos, plus a single A319. Six of the A320neo-family deliveries went to Indian budget airline IndiGo. Airbus also delivered a pair of A220-300s to Air Canada. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

A320 successor among ambitions outlined in French aid scheme

Airbus’s development of an A320 successor, to enter service from 2033, and the design of a highly-efficient regional aircraft are among the target projects outlined by the French government as it unveiled a €15 billion aid package for the aeronautical sector. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

Emirates to resume flying A380s to Malaysia

Emirates is planning to resume services to Kuala Lumpur effective 1 July with an initial timetable schedule extending to the end of October. (www.ttrweekly.com) More...

Ukraine International Rolls Out 13 Hour Boeing 737 Flight To New York

Ukrainian International Airlines will be resuming service from its hub at Kyiv Boryspil International Airport to JFK Airport in New York City. The service will see spending 12 and a half hours in a Boeing 737-900. The flight will have a technical stop in Iceland. (simpleflying.com) More...

Qantas Likely Won’t Bring The 747 Back

While it’s fleet is mostly grounded and few flights are operating, Qantas has been quietly sending its remaining 747-400s out to pasture. Since Qantas went into hibernation about three months ago, they’ve gone usually quiet on the 747-400s. It’s a sad and inglorious end for an iconic plane. Various 747 models have flown in the ever-evolving Qantas colors since 1971. (simpleflying.com) More...

Dash cam video shows emergency plane landing on LA 3235 South in Lafourche Parish

LAFOURCHE PARISH, La. — A truck driver captured an emergency landing of a plane on LA 3235 South in Lafourche Parish Thursday morning. According to Derek Breaux, a Breaux Petroleum truck driver's dash cam caught the emergency landing on video around 8:00 a.m. (www.wdsu.com) More...

South African Airways Sends 2 A350s To Spanish Aircraft Graveyard

South African Airways has sent two of its Airbus A350s to a Spanish aircraft graveyard. The two A350s were leased from Avolon, joining the fleet last November, having previously flown for Hainan Airlines.South African Airways has four Airbus A350s. Two were leased from Avolon, with the other two being hired from Air Mauritius. (simpleflying.com) More...

Iberia Has Retired Its Last Airbus A340

Iberia said goodbye to its last A340, ending nearly 24 years of history with the type. The A340 has played a vital role in the Iberia fleet by connecting new long-haul destinations from Madrid. (simpleflying.com) More...

United Nations Antonov An-72 Crashes In Mali

A United Nations Antonov An-72 has crashed on arrival in Mali. Initial reports suggest that there were only a few injuries and no fatalities. It is unclear exactly what caused the incident, but it appears that the plane landed during or after a rainstorm. (simpleflying.com) More...

Pilots and Controller Blamed for Pakistani A320 Crash

AAIB has released the preliminary report on the PIA A320 accident a month after the crash. According to the report, the flight crew failed to extend landing gear, leading to a gear-up landing and initiated a go-around with damaged engines. Investigators also accused the crew of being overconfident. (airlinegeeks.com) More...

Boeing 787 Production Issues Under FAA Scrutiny

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering reviewing hundreds of Boeing 787 Dreamliners due to production issues. (airwaysmag.com) More...

Radio Parts Stolen From Russia’s Ilyushin Il-80 Doomsday Plane

In a security breach, thieves have broken into Russia’s ‘Doomsday’ plane, the Il-80, while it was undergoing maintenance in southwestern Russia. The Ilyushin Il-80, carrying the NATO reporting name Maxdome, is a four-engine, widebody flying fortress. (simpleflying.com) More...

‘Boris Force One’ A330 Jet Completes First Official Engagement

This weekend saw the United Kingdom’s A330 ‘Boris Force One’ jet complete its first official engagement. (simpleflying.com) More...

TAP Air Portugal To Resume Service From North America

TAP Air Portugal (TP) will be re-opening its North American air service from June 4, with two weekly flights between Newark Liberty and Lisbon, following Portugal’s completion of its three phases of re-opening next week. (airwaysmag.com) More...

Vistara To Commence Flights To London, Paris, And Frankfurt

Indian carrier Vistara will launch new routes to London, Paris, and Frankfurt following an announcement yesterday. The carrier will operate these routes with a fleet of two Boeing 787-9 aircraft, with new business, premium economy and economy classes onboard. (simpleflying.com) More...

Alitalia Adding Over 1,600 Flights In August– Including Tokyo-Haneda Launch

Italian national flag carrier Alitalia said that it would be adding over 1,600 flights in August, including a service between Rome and Haneda Airport in Tokyo. (simpleflying.com) More...

Lufthansa Shareholders Approve €9bn Bailout

Lufthansa (LH) shareholders have voted to accept a €9bn bailout package from the German government. (airwaysmag.com) More...

FAA Proposes Final Corrective Actions for The Boeing 737 MAX

The FAA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). Its purpose is to supersede the previous Airworthiness Directive (AD) applying to Boeing 737 MAX airplanes. (airwaysmag.com) More...

British Airways’ A350 Fleet Is Still Growing As Deliveries Continue

British Airways’ fleet of new aircraft is continuing to grow as the airline yesterday took its eighth Airbus A350. British Airways took delivery of its latest Airbus A350-1000, G-XWBH (simpleflying.com) More...

E-Jet operators told to act to avert trim-switch misfitting

Operators of Embraer 170 and 190 regional jets are being instructed to modify control yokes to prevent horizontal stabiliser trim switches being inadvertently wrongly installed. (www.flightglobal.com) More...

General Electric Turns to Airbus Because of Boeing's Mess

GE, Stung by Boeing Pullback, Pitches for New Business With Airbus (www.thestreet.com) More...

Volga-Dnepr Grounds Antonov 124 Fleet Following Crash

ussian cargo airline Volga-Dnepr has grounded its fleet of Antonov An-124 aircraft. According to the airline, the grounding is a proactive and pre-emptive decision following a near catastrophe earlier in November for the An-124 RA-82042. (simpleflying.com) More...

Air Canada Schedules Airbus A220 Flights Between Vancouver And Toronto

In June, Air Canada will add a fifth service on its Toronto to Vancouver operation as it tries to recover from the effects of coronavirus. (simpleflying.com) More...

Why the new A220 is popular with airlines during the coronavirus pandemic

There are winners and losers of every crisis in the aviation industry. (thepointsguy.co.uk) More...

Paris To Become The Latest A380 Hub Thanks To China Southern

Paris is set to become one of just four airports with two active Airbus A380 operators as China Southern looks to upgrade its route. The Chinese Airbus A380 operator will fly the giant of the skies to the French capital from Guangzhou seven times between August and October. (simpleflying.com) More...

Boeing completes delivery of all AH-64E Apache, CH-47F(I) Chinook helicopters to India

Boeing stated that it has completed delivery of all new AH-64E Apache and CH-47F(I) Chinook military helicopters to the Indian Air Force (IAF). India is one of 17 nations to select the Apache and has the most advanced variant, the AH-64E Apache that is also flown by the US and many other countries. (zeenews.india.com) More...

Congress on the brink of major FAA oversight reform in wake of Boeing 737 MAX crashes

The bill provides that the Boeing engineers assigned to work on behalf of the FAA must be approved or removed not by the company (www.fliegerfaust.com) More...

IndiGo, world's biggest buyer of Airbus A320neo jets, will continue to add planes to its fleet despite Covid squeeze

IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, said it will keep adding new aircraft to its fleet even as it can’t give any firm guidance on future capacity growth because of the coronavirus pandemic, which destroyed demand for air travel in one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) More...

ANA opens ticket sale for its Airbus A380 test flight

All Nippon Airways is opening its Airbus A380 test flight for the public. ANA will lift the “Flying Honu” superjumbo for a 90-minute soar from Narita to Narita on August 22, 2020. ANA said it was organizing the charter flight NH2030 in response to customers’ voice, particularly for the people who wanted to experience a sightseeing flight on an Airbus A380. (www.aerotime.aero) More...

ATR’s Freighter Gains EASA Certification

European manufacturer ATR has officially received certification from EASA for its brand new 72-600F freighter. The turboprop aircraft is the cargo version of its regional passenger plane. FedEx Express will be the launch operator of the new cargo plane. (simpleflying.com) More...

Israel Set To Operate First Ever UAE Flight Next Week

Israel is gearing up for its first commercial flight between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi. This flight will likely be on Israel’s flag carrier, El Al. The plane will carry Israeli and US officials. (simpleflying.com) More...