Aviation Stats Update: June 22, 2021

"As many countries within Europe start to ease restrictions due to COVID-19, commercial airline traffic surges upwards, as Europe has seen a +78% increase in travel from May 1st to June 20th (from 6,826 to 12,119 flights)." -Daniel Baker, CEO, FlightAware (blog.flightaware.com) Mehr...

Silencing Aircraft Engines: New Material Could Reduce Noise To That Of A Hairdryer

If you live near an airport or are a frequent flyer, you may be no stranger to the intense roar of a modern-day aircraft. As the turbines whir into action and force superheated air through the exhaust, sounds as loud as 140 decibels can be heard by nearby onlookers, to the point where noise-reducing earphones are a necessity for visiting airshows to prevent hearing damage. (www.iflscience.com) Mehr...

B-52 bombers traverse Arctic in 27-hour Europe-to-Pacific mission

Air Force B-52H bombers returned to the United States from a European deployment by way of a 12,000-mile mission through the Arctic and Pacific late last week, the Air Force said in a news release Monday. (www.stripes.com) Mehr...

FAA Provides $8 Billion in Airport Rescue Grants

The U.S. Department of Transportations Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will award $8 billion in grants to keep U.S. airport workers employed, construction projects going and help U.S. airports recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding for the grants comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 President Biden signed into law on March 11, 2021. (www.einnews.com) Mehr...

The Air Force's Next Fighter Will Be A 'Multirole' Aircraft

The Air Force's next-gen fighter will primarily be an air-to-air weapon, but will also have a limited air-to-ground capability, according to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown. The fighter might also come in two different variations, including a version that's optimized for the vast expanse of the Indo-Pacific. (www.popularmechanics.com) Mehr...

Delta’s most anticipated long-haul route hit a major legal snag

Delta Air Lines won’t be flying to Cape Town after all — and it’s not necessarily by choice. At the height of the pandemic, the Atlanta-based carrier unveiled plans to serve both Johannesburg and Cape Town with a triangle route. The flight would leave Atlanta and fly nonstop to Johannesburg before continuing on to Cape Town and then returning to Atlanta. (thepointsguy.com) Mehr...

The Story Of TWA’s Boeing 747SPs

Trans World Airlines, known in short as TWA, had a rich history that lasted for more than seven decades. Between 1930 and 2001, the carrier operated a wide variety of aircraft from several different manufacturers. Boeing was one of the most common of these, and TWA flew multiple different variants of its iconic 747 family. Among these were three examples of the short-fuselage 747SP. Let’s take a look at the story of these aircraft. (simpleflying.com) Mehr...

Frontier Airlines Making Passengers Pay 'COVID Recovery' Surcharge

Frontier Airlines is now making passengers pay a "Covid Recovery" surcharge. The charge is intended to offset costs such as "increased sanitation and cleaning onboard the aircraft and in the airport, shields at the ticket counters and gate areas, and personal protective equipment for employees," according to the airline's site. (abcnews.go.com) Mehr...

Etihad’s Interesting Boeing 787 Dreamliner Triangle Route To Vienna

Etihad Airways is set to launch a twice-weekly service to Vienna this summer. The flight will start in just under a month, with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner serving the route. The route comes as travel restrictions remain in place in both directions. (simpleflying.com) Mehr...

Navy Wings’ Hawker Sea Fury T.20 VX281 Declared a Write-Off

As we noted earlier this month in our update on the Navy Wings Collection, the organization was assessing the future of their Hawker Sea Fury T.20 VX281, which was involved in a serious forced landing following engine failure near their home base at Yeovilton, England on April 28th, 2021. Thankfully, neither aircrew were seriously injured in the accident, with the naval fighter absorbing the brunt of the trauma, however Navy Wings report in their latest newsletter that their insurance… (warbirdsnews.com) Mehr...

Longtime Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly Stepping Down in 2022

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly will step down from the helm of the Dallas-based carrier next year, the company announced Wednesday morning. (www.nbcdfw.com) Mehr...

Pilot makes an emergancy landing in Nampa, Idaho

engine failure caused a pilot to land in a field near a local airport in Idaho (www.ktvb.com) Mehr...

U.S. Navy Adversary Unit Reveals Super Hornet Masquerading As Russia’s Top Fighter

The U.S. Navy’s plans to overhaul its adversary aircraft fleet have taken a significant step forward with the introduction of the first three Super Hornets to Fighter Squadron Composite 12, or VFC-12, which is home-based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. Known as the “Fighting Omars,” this unit is one of four specialist adversary units within the Navy with the task of replicating enemy fighters and their tactics. (www.thedrive.com) Mehr...

Boeing, Lockheed Eye Big Fighter Deal As Richer Contract Looms

Switzerland is ready to pick a new fighter jet Wednesday with offerings from Boeing (BA) and Lockheed Martin (LMT) in the running for a $6.5 billion deal. Defense stocks were down. Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, Lockheed's F-35, Airbus' (EADSY) Eurofighter and Dassault's Rafale are among the competing aircraft. (www.investors.com) Mehr...

Cathay Pacific Airways and HK Express select Airbus’s Flight Hour Services (FHS) to support their A320 Family fleets

Hong Kong, 23 June, 2021 - Cathay Pacific Airways and HK Express have signed contracts for Airbus’s Flight Hour Services (FHS) to provide support for their A320 Family fleets. These extend the service relationship with Cathay Pacific and welcome HK Express as a new FHS customer. The multi-year, maintenance-by-the-hour contracts cover integrated component services, including on-site stock, pool access, and repair services. The airlines will also benefit from Airbus’s engineering expertise and FHS… (www.airbus.com) Mehr...

Boeing lobbyist Keating, who helped steer it through MAX crisis, exits abruptly

SEATTLE/WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) announced on Monday that veteran lobbyist and political strategist Tim Keating, who helped navigate the U.S. planemaker through its worst-ever crisis following fatal 737 MAX crashes, has left the company but gave no reason. (www.reuters.com) Mehr...

Icelandair Is Coming To Baltimore Using A Boeing 737 MAX

There is some very good news for passengers flying out of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) in Maryland. Starting in 2022, Icelandair will fly a Boeing 737 MAX 8 to the airport from its hub at Keflavík International Airport (KEF) in Reykjavík, Iceland. This new service comes as BWI sees travelers return and flexes its muscles as a major airport in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. metro area (simpleflying.com) Mehr...

Airlines, Aviation Unions Call For Harsher Penalties For Unruly Passengers

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A coalition of airlines and major aviation unions have come together to ask U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to take a stand on harsher penalties for unruly passengers. Since Jan. 1 of this year, the Federal Aviation Administration has received approximately 3,000 reports of unruly behavior by passengers, including about 2,300 reports of passengers refusing to comply with the federal face covering mandate. (losangeles.cbslocal.com) Mehr...

The Story Of United’s Boeing 747-400 Operations

United Airlines retired the last of its Boeing 747-400s nearly four years ago on November 7th, 2017. San Francisco was always the most important hub for the type, followed by Chicago and Washington Dulles. We explore how the iconic B747-400 (code: 744) was used. (simpleflying.com) Mehr...

American Airlines Shouldn’t Have Been Bailed Out

Widespread worker shortages are making their presence felt across the American economy, and some air travelers are feeling the brunt of that. On the latest Pivot podcast, Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway discuss the case of American Airlines, which, despite a federal bailout, finds itself in a similar situation as many other businesses. (nymag.com) Mehr...

United Adds Service to 2 New Airports

United adds commercial service to the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport for the first time this century. (thepointsguy.com) Mehr...

Delta Enhances Its Codeshare Agreement With Kenya Airways

Nairobi-based Kenya Airways has expanded its codeshare agreement with US carrier Delta Air Lines. By doing this, the Kenyan national flag carrier has extended its offerings in the United States. In addition, Kenya Airways will use John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to connect to other North American destinations. (simpleflying.com) Mehr...

Remembering the first woman to fly solo around the world

Fifty-six-years ago today, a woman from Ohio became the first woman to fly solo around the world. No, you are not doing the maths wrong. I am not talking about that other, much more famous, female American aviator. I am talking about Jerrie Mock, private pilot, housewife – and my grandmother. (www.aljazeera.com) Mehr...

Spirit Airlines coming to Manchester airport this fall, serving Florida cities

After years of effort, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport has finally lured a new budget airline, Florida-based Spirit Airways, and officials hope it marks the start of the airport’s rebirth after a decade of decline. (www.concordmonitor.com) Mehr...

WestJet to launch a new dedicated cargo service with 737-800 Boeing Converted Freights (BCF)

CALGARY, ALBERTA — Canada's second-largest carrier WestJet today announced that it is launching a new dedicated cargo service, using 737-800 Boeing Converted Freights (BCF), as dedicated aircraft, to fulfill the increasing air cargo transportation demand in Canada. (www.airlinerwatch.com) Mehr...

United is adding 2 brand-new destinations to its route map

Two regional airports are big winners in United Airlines’ latest route-map adjustment In a move to boost its flying to outdoor-friendly destinations, United will launch flights to the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport near Bishop, California (BIH), from three of its hubs: Denver (DEN), Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), according to Cirium schedules and confirmed by the carrier to TPG. (thepointsguy.com) Mehr...