Aerotime

JANUARY 13, 2025

The team at Boom Supersonic are determining whether a 12 th test flight of its XB-1 demonstrator is needed before undertaking its first attempt at breaking the speed barrier. On January 10, 2025, XB-1 reached speeds of Mach 0.95 during a 44-minute flight over the Mojave Desert with Chief Test Pilot Tristan Geppetto Brandenburg at the controls. The 11 th XB-1 test flight also saw the aircraft climb to 29,481 feet as it closes in on supersonic speeds.

Approach 362

Approach Knot Pilot 362

Cranky Flier

APRIL 10, 2025

The end of Mesa has finally arrived, and lucky for the airline, it was the rosier situation that prevailed. Instead of failing outright, Mesa has now been bought. No doubt many a United customer is now celebrating this turn of events. Republic is the winner, and that means that outside of wholly-owned regionals, there are really only two major regional carriers of note left: SkyWest and Republic.

Airlines 260

Airlines Airline Pilot 260

Aerotime

MAY 4, 2025

Travelers flying with easyJet through Gatwick Airport (LGW) in May and June should prepare for severe flight disruptions. Refueling staff and ground workers are planning coordinated strike actions that could impact over 70% of the airlines daily operations from the airport. easyJet operates more than half of all departures from Gatwick, making it the largest airline at the UKs second-busiest airport.

Airlines 314

Airlines Airline 314

Aerotime

APRIL 28, 2025

Widespread travel chaos is unfolding at airports across the Iberian Peninsula as power networks across Spain and Portugal have failed, bringing both countries to a standstill. Not only is aviation affected, with public transport and transport infrastructure, domestic and commercial customers, and widespread access to the internet all said to be significantly affected by the outage.

Airlines 336

Airlines Airline 336

Aerotime

MARCH 11, 2025

The Air France-KLM Group has reportedly tabled an offer of 300 million ($330 million) to take a controlling stake in Spanish carrier Air Europa. The move places the Franco-Dutch airline consortium in the running to take control of the Spanish airline with Germanys Lufthansa Group, which until now, had been considered as the clear favorite to take a majority shareholding in the Madrid-based airline.

Stability 322

Stability Airlines Airline 322

Aerotime

APRIL 3, 2025

The automatic pilot (autopilot) has to be one of aviations finest technological inventions. Yet, it is also one of the earliest, having been introduced (in its most rudimentary form) in 1912, just nine years after the Wright Brothers first took to the air in their powered Wright Flyer in 1903. Since those early days, the autopilot has developed enormously, both in terms of capabilities and functionality.

Weight-Shift-Control 298

Weight-Shift-Control Cockpit Pilot Stability 298

Aerotime

JANUARY 10, 2025

Dublin-based aircraft leasing company Avolon has published a new market outlook report , predicting that the global airline industry will reach US$1 trillion in revenue for the first time ever during 2025. According to this analysis, the main driver behind this growth is the Asia-Pacific region, which will be adding more capacity than all other regions of the world combined.

Airlines 287

Airlines Airline 287

Aerotime

APRIL 18, 2025

On April 17, 2025, Istanbul Airport (IST) conducted a triple independent take-off, the first time this feat has been achieved in Europe. It was undertaken by three Turkish Airlines aircraft which departed Istanbul at the exact same time, using each one of the three parallel runways. Trkiye's Istanbul Airport launches simultaneous operation on three runways, recorded by Flightradar24 1⃣ Istanbul Airport becomes the 1st airport in Europe and the 2nd in the world to launch such an operat

Runway 320

Runway Airlines Airline 320

Aerotime

APRIL 21, 2025

Space exploration is not usually among the topics that come to mind when thinking about Switzerland. This Alpine nation is most often associated with its mountain landscapes, cheese and love for precision clockwork. However, in late 2024, Starlab Space, a Houston-based joint venture developing a next-generation space station, selected it as the location of its European hub.

Payload 280

Payload Cargo Approach 280

Aerotime

APRIL 24, 2025

Generally speaking, any commercial flight these days that exceeds ten hours (or so) is considered long, or at least certainly long-haul. Some of the longest airline flights operating today exceed even that length, with some lasting anything up to 17 or 18 hours flying time. Yet, as long as these flights may be, they are not even in contention for the accolade of the worlds longest-ever commercial passenger air service in terms of duration.

Payload 279

Payload Runway Airlines Airline 279

Aerotime

FEBRUARY 17, 2025

A Delta Connection flight operating from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP), United States, to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Canada, encountered an incident upon landing, prompting an emergency response at the airport. The flight, DL4819, was operated by an Endeavor Air Bombardier CRJ900, registered N932XJ, on behalf of Delta Air Lines.

Runway 315

Runway Airlines Airline 315

Aerotime

JANUARY 8, 2025

On January 7, 2025, airBaltic announced that it had successfully conducted a certification test flight of its new SpaceX’s Starlink internet connectivity on one of its Airbus A220-300 aircraft. This flight, which departed and landed at the airlines main base in Riga, Latvia (RIX), is one of the necessary steps required in order to obtain the required certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Airlines 300

Airlines Airline 300

Aerotime

APRIL 13, 2025

A penguin which was being transported in the cabin of a Robinson R44 Raven II (registration ZS-RJC) has been, indirectly, blamed for the helicopters crash in South Africa, on January 19, 2025. According to a report issued on April 5, 2025, by the South African civil aviation authority (SACAA) , the helicopter went down due to an unsecured carboard box, in the penguin was being transported, sliding on the cyclic pitch control lever and causing an unexpected roll to the right from which the helico

Cockpit 315

Cockpit Pilot 315

Aerotime

JUNE 3, 2025

Ethiopian Airlines is eyeing up a possible double-digit order for regional jets with Airbus, Boeing and Embraer all in the running for the potentially lucrative deal. The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mesfin Tasew Bekele, spoke to Reuters at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) where he confirmed the carrier was considering at least 20 regional or small jets.

Airlines 294

Airlines Airline Jet Airplanes 294

Aerotime

JANUARY 2, 2025

Latvian-based carrier airBaltic has announced the cancellation of 4,670 flights from all its bases for the summer season of 2025. The decision is due to unexpected delays and prolonged engine maintenance by its supplier Pratt & Whitney, the carrier announced in a press release published on January 2, 2025. airBaltic said the engine manufacturers inability to meet its timely maintenance obligations has impacted the operational capabilities of the airlines Airbus A220-300 fleet.

Airlines 287

Airlines Airline 287

Aerotime

JULY 2, 2025

Airlines are preparing for impending air traffic control strikes in France after the French civil aviation agency (DGAC) asked carriers to reduce operations at airports. Airlines were requested to reduce flights on July 3, 2025, at Paris airports by 25% and told passengers expecting to travel to contact their carrier to confirm arrangements. In a post on social media, DGCA listed the affected airports as Nice, Bastia, Calvi, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Ajaccio, Figari, Paris-Charles de Gaulle,

Air Traffic Control 269

Air Traffic Control Airlines Airline 269

Aerotime

JANUARY 17, 2025

AeroTime is excited to welcome Christian Charalambous as a guest columnist. A pilot operating Boeing 767s on global routes and a consultant leveraging his extensive aviation and technology expertise, Christian also holds a First-Class Honours degree in Air Transport Operations plus a masters degree in Blockchain. In his columns, he explores the modern challenges and innovative technologies that are shaping the future of flight.

Weather 279

Weather Approach Pilot Aviation Technology 279

Aerotime

JULY 1, 2025

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) is ordering up to 55 Embraer E-195 E2 aircraft (45 firm orders and 10 options), SAS CEO Anko van der Werff announced at a press conference in Copenhagen on July 1, 2025. The event was attended also by Embraer’s Group President and CEO, Francisco Gomes Neto and its President and CEO for Commercial Aircraft, Arjan Meijer.

Stability 281

Stability Jet Airlines Airline 281

Aerotime

APRIL 25, 2025

Korean Air, the national airline of South Korea, has reintroduced its Boeing 747-8i fleet onto the carriers nonstop route from Seoul to Atlanta in the US, making it the longest route flown by a passenger-configured Boeing 747 by distance. The reintroduction of the type onto this particular route for the summer of 2025 sees the airline steal the crown for this accolade from German carrier Lufthansa, which was the holder until April 25, 2025, when the Seoul-based carrier brought its jumbos back to

Airlines 288

Airlines Airline 288

Aerotime

JANUARY 8, 2025

UK-based electric vehicle takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace has become only the second company in the world to perform a piloted thrustborne flight test in a full-scale vectored thrust aircraft. The full-scale eVTOL aircraft, known as VX4, took off on January 7, 2024, with pilot Simon Davies at the controls, at the Vertical Aerospace test center at Cotswold Airport (GBA).

Pilot 311

Pilot Thrust Stability Lift 311

Aerotime

JANUARY 9, 2025

Saudi startup airline Riyadh Air has announced that it is preparing for the arrival of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The leased aircraft, painted in the airlines pearl livery, will be showcased at Riyadhs King Khalid International Airport (RUH), the carrier announced on January 9, 2025. The new aircraft will be used as a technical spare and for training purposes in the upcoming months, the statement read.

Jet 280

Jet Airlines Airline 280

Aerotime

JANUARY 6, 2025

Gulfstream Aerospace announced on January 6th, 2025, that two more G700 aircraft have been delivered to Qatar Executive , the private aviation arm of Qatar Airways. These deliveries take the total number of G700s in Qatars fleet to six, with four more scheduled to arrive in the near future. Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream, praised his team for the swift delivery of the new aircraft to Qatar, noting that the unprecedented speed with which the team has been able to deliver this remarkable airc

Jet 264

Jet 264

Aerotime

JANUARY 15, 2025

Boeing delivered 180 fewer commercial aircraft in 2024 than 2023 after a torrid year which began with a door plug separating from an Alaska Airline 737-9 midflight. On January 14, 2025, Boeing confirmed that 348 passenger jets were delivered to customers last year including just 57 in the final quarter. In 2023, a total of 528 commercial planes were handed over to operators, with 157 delivered in the final quarter.

Jet 300

Jet Airlines Airline 300

Aerotime

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

South Korea is set to completely rebuild its aviation safety system after recent aviation accidents in the country, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced. On February 4, 2025, MOLIT revealed plans to create an Aviation Safety Innovation Committee, which will include around 20 private experts aimed at improving safety in the aviation industry.

Runway 276

Runway Pilot Airlines Airline 276

Aerotime

JANUARY 14, 2025

Lufthansa and Thai Airways International are expanding their existing codeshare program to expand connectivity between Europe and several Asian destinations. The deal will see two cities in Vietnam plus one in the Philippines join the program to be linked by the Thai carrier from its hub in Bangkok. The expansion will see flights between Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to Hanoi (HAN), Ho Chi Minh (SGN), and Manila (MNL) all continuing to be operated by Thai Airways but carrying an additional LH fligh

Airlines 287

Airlines Airline 287

Aerotime

JANUARY 14, 2025

Austrian Airlines has become the latest carrier from the Lufthansa Group to adopt the aerodynamics-enhancing AeroSHARK technology. The Austrian flag carrier announced on January 14, 2024, that one of its Boeing 777-200ER aircraft (OE-LPC) had flown between Bangkok (BKK) and Vienna (VIE) featuring the specially treated fuel-saving fuselage surfaces. AeroSHARK was developed jointly by Lufthansa Technik, which is the engineering and maintenance arm of airline group, and German chemicals giant BASF.

Airlines 287

Airlines Airline Aviation Technology 287

Aerotime

JUNE 20, 2025

A Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX 8-200 sustained damage after its right wing tip struck a ground structure at an airport in Greece. There were no injuries to the passengers or crew onboard the aircraft, which was able to return to service immediately following the mishap. Ryanair flight FR6080 departed from London-Stansted Airport (STN) at 09:00 on the morning of June 19, 2025.

Drag 293

Drag Turbulence Runway Airlines 293

Aerotime

MAY 30, 2025

In an announcement on May 29, 2025, JetBlue and United Airlines have declared that they are entering into a comprehensive partnership that will see both airlines cooperating closely across a number of fields. One aspect of this agreement that will have an immediate and tangible effect on passengers is the fact that both airlines will be linking their respective loyalty programs.

Airlines 253

Airlines Airline 253

Aerotime

JUNE 19, 2025

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has raised serious concerns over CFM International LEAP-1B engines used to power Boeing 737 MAXs. On June 18, 2025, the NTSB issued an urgent safety recommendation over fears that smoke could enter the cockpit or cabin of aircraft equipped with LEAP-1B engines. The safety agency also issued additional recommendations to evaluate the potential for the same issue with LEAP-1A and -1C engines.

Jet 300

Jet Cockpit Flight Deck Airplanes 300

Aerotime

JUNE 19, 2025

After months of negotiations, Nigeria’s de facto national carrier, Air Peace, has finally been given the green light to begin flights between Abuja and London-Heathrow Airport (LHR). The airline, which currently serves London-Gatwick Airport (LGW) from Lagos, has been lobbying hard for access rights to Heathrow for years, but with the shortage of slots at the West London Airport, it eventually had to settle for Gatwick, where slots were more readily available.

Airlines 307

Airlines Airline Runway 307

Aerotime

JANUARY 9, 2025

The number of passengers carried by Turkish Airlines reached 83.4 million in 2024, a figure which represents an increase of 2.1% year-on-year, according to a statement issued by the national carrier of Turkey on January 8, 2024. The total included 31.7 million international passengers, up 6.4% over 2023, a rise it largely credits to a major international expansion push throughout 2024.

Airlines 280

Airlines Airline Cargo 280

Aerotime

FEBRUARY 23, 2025

The company behind the Lilium Jet has filed for insolvency after its funding options dried up and promises of new financing failed to materialize. Lilium Aerospace , which evolved after Lilium GmbH and Lilium eAircraft GmbH filed for insolvency at the end of last year, confirmed on February 21, 2025, that operations had stopped. As the funding options to secure Liliums future have not materialized in time, Lilium Aerospace has filed for insolvency today, a spokesperson for Lilium said.

Jet 294

Jet 294

Aerotime

MARCH 28, 2025

Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was one of the worst aviation disasters in modern US history. What should have been a routine flight turned into a tragedy after a part of the tail assembly failed. Twenty-five years on from this terrible accident, we look back at what led up to the crash, what was learned from it, and why the pilots Ted Thompson and Bill Tansky are now hailed as heroes for their actions during the incident.

Horizontal Stabilizer 273

Horizontal Stabilizer Stability Airlines Airline 273

Aerotime

JANUARY 17, 2025

South Korean authorities have discovered bird feathers and blood in both engines of the Jeju Air aircraft that crashed and killed 179 people on December 29, 2024. On January 16, 2025, Korean investigators announced that feathers were found in one of the engines recovered from the crash scene, as reported by local news outlet MBN. The Korea Aviation Accident Investigation Board confirmed that feathers were also found in the other engine.

Runway 315

Runway Cockpit 315

Aerotime

JANUARY 8, 2025

International flights have resumed at Syrias Damascus Airport (DAM) for the first time since former president and dictator Bashar al-Assad was overthrown on December 8, 2024. Images taken at the airport, and on flights to Damascus, show scenes of celebration as crew and passengers wear Syrias independence flag proudly. One of the first flights to arrive at Damascus Airport was Qatar Airways QR 410 from Dohas Hamad International Airport (DOH).

Airlines 279

Airlines Airline 279

Aerotime

MAY 7, 2025

The first production Concorde named Sierra Bravo has received historic monument status from the French government in a move designed to recognize the aircraft’s significance to commercial supersonic flight. Known as Concorde No. 1, the aircraft played a key role in the certification process in obtaining an airworthiness certificate and ensuring it was safe to fly.

Cockpit 300

Cockpit Runway Pilot 300

Aerotime

JANUARY 6, 2025

British Airways, the national carrier of the United Kingdom (UK) and one of the defining airlines within the contemporary aviation world, offers its engineers a career without limits. Its a workplace in which they can handle a modern fleet that includes the giant A380 superjumbo and advanced 787 and A350 wide bodies, plus a wide range of the latest engine types, while remaining free to think big and bring their ambition to work every day.

Narrow-Body Aircraft 273

Narrow-Body Aircraft Airlines Airline 273