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Ryanair closes its Billund hub
31 January 2025
The low-cost carrier Ryan Air announced it will close its hub in Billund, Denmark, starting in March 2025. This will eliminate several other routes across Denmark.
The company’s CEO, Michael O’Leary, explained that the high taxation in Denmark fueled the decision.
Midair collision sends both American Eagle Flight 5342 and Blackhawk Helli plummeting to the ground with no survivors
29 January 2025
American Eagle Flight 5342 collided with a Blackhawk helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan Airport in the U.S. The collision, which happened below 300m of altitude, sent both aircraft plummeting to the ground. The wrecks landed in the Potomac River, killing all the onboard occupants.
The accident is currently under investigation, while efforts to retrieve the bodies of the passengers are ongoing but hampered by the bad weather and the cold.
Air Busan A321 catches fire on the ground, forcing passengers to be evacuated
28 January 2025
An Air Busan A321 caught fire on the ground at Gimhae International Airport, prompting the crew to evacuate all the passengers via the aircraft’s emergency slides. It's a relief to report that no people were injured in the process, underscoring the safety of air travel.
An inquiry into the incident is currently underway, ensuring that all necessary steps are being taken to understand the cause and prevent such incidents in the future.
SAS introduces free broadband internet on all of its fleet
27 January 2025
The Danish flag carrier SAS will upgrade its entire fleet with broadband internet between 2025 and 2027. The service will be provided via SkyLink.
The connection will provide passengers with high-speed internet on any flight and in any location on Earth. This decision is a direct response to the increasing demand for onboard internet connectivity and a new trend among airlines to provide such a service. So far, around ten operators around the world have decided to have their jets connected to the StarLink satellite constellation.
Airbus will close its freshly established cargo line 14 months after opening it
24 January 2025
Airbus will close its Beluga AOC only 14 months after it was opened. The company operates the Airbus A300-600ST aircraft, a specialized transport airplane destined for oversized cargo items such as aircraft fuselages, helicopters, satellites, and heavy industry equipment.
The company didn’t specify why it made this decision but declared that it would help its 60 staff members through the transition period after the closure is complete.
The first Turkish commercial flight in the past 13 years lands at Damascus Airport
23 January 2025
Turkish Airlines is the second operator to resume commercial flights to Syria after the fall of the Assad regime. The first was Qatar Airways, which started operating in Damascus on January 7.
The Turkish flag carrier operated this first flight with a Boeing 777 and intends to keep the schedule up with three flights per week.
The landing marks another step to normality, signaling the return of stable political conditions in the country.
Starlink Internet paired with the ATR-72 500 and 600
22 January 2025
The ATR-72 500 and 600 series received EASA certification for high-speed internet onboard. The aircraft can now benefit from Starlink-provided internet in flight. The system can be retrofitted or installed on newly built ATRs.
Air New Zealand will be the new system's launch customer. The airline plans to introduce it on domestic flights later in 2025.
Eurowings selected the Boeing 737-8 as the successor to its Airbus A320 fleet
21 January 2025
Eurowings, the second German air operator, decided to upgrade its A320 and 319 fleet to the Boeing 737-8. The five billion USD contract will see the first aircraft delivered in 2027.
Eurowings claims the 737s are more fuel efficient and quieter than its aging Airbus fleet. They are also roomier, accommodating more passengers.
All of the aircraft should be delivered by the end of 2032.
Boeing resumes certification flights for the latest 777 model
18 January 2025
After a long and protracted development, Boeing has finally resumed its certification flights for the 777-9 model. This 9 model is part of a larger family, the 777-X, which is the last of the 777 series. Development started in 2013, and the first flight of the 9 model happened in 2020. Several technical problems delayed the type certification and the delivery of the model to its clients, with Qatar Aviation being the launch customer.
If certification flights are successfully completed, the first deliveries of the 777-9 model are expected to take place in 2026.
Emirates SkyCargo wet leases six 747 freighters
17 January 2025
Emirates Cargo decided to expand its fleet by wet leasing six aircraft from the Bulgarian operator Compass Air Cargo. The cargo-configured 747s will join the ten-aircraft-strong Emirates cargo fleet starting this year, rounding up the total freight carriers of the company to sixteen. There are plans to expand the fleet further; Emirates already has the 777 model on order. The company disclosed that it is also considering converting some of the older passenger aircraft to cargo configuration to keep up with freight transportation demands.
Jetex announced its intention to establish an FBO in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
15 January 2025
Jetex Flight Support announced in a press release that it signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The intention is to open an FBO in Tashkent Airport and a possible chain of FBOs later.
The decision came as an initiative of President Mirziyoyaev of Uzbekistan, who aims to establish world-class corporate FBOs across the country and open new possibilities for entrepreneurs. Jetex was chosen due to its vast experience, reliability, and quality of aviation-related services, especially for corporate aviation.
India’s largest low-cost carrier intends to open new routes to Europe
13 January 2025
In a press release, Indigo, India’s largest low-cost carrier, disclosed that it intends to open several European destinations. Its intention is to serve several European capitals, such as London, Paris, and Amsterdam. The recruitment and administrative processes have already been started.
The operation will be carried out with leased wide-body aircraft, most probably Boeing 787s. The schedule was not disclosed, but it will probably include several weekly flights.
Indigo operates mainly to Asian and domestic destinations, and the intention, if fulfilled, would open its first regular flight routes to Western Europe.
New findings in Jeju Flight 2216 crash
11 January 2025
New information surfaced during the investigation of the Flight 2216 crash in South Korea on the 29th of December 2024, and the findings raised more questions than answers. Both black boxes of the aircraft, the CVR (Cockpit Voice Recorder) and the FDR (Flight Data Recorder), stopped operating four minutes before the crash. It means that important data, recorded at a critical moment before the accident, was lost. This leaves the inquirers without an important source of clues on what had happened. If no useful information can be extracted from the black boxes, the inquiry will have to focus mainly on witness accounts, video footage, and control tower transcripts to gather data.
Jeju Flight 2216 is the deadliest aircraft accident on South Korean soil. The involved aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 belly, landed at Muan International Airport and skidded off the runway, colliding with a concrete structure housing the airport’s ILS antennas and killing 179 of the 181 persons onboard.
There are no known concrete causes yet as to what had caused the accident.
EASA increases restrictions for operations in the Russian Federation
10 January 2025
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued a new bulletin concerning operations in the Russian Federation. The Bulletin replaces and broadens the previously issued recommendation, narrowing the geographical area where airlines can operate. Operations west of longitude at 60 o E must be treated with extreme caution at any flight level.
The recommendation is valid until July 2025 and was issued taking into consideration the high alert state of the Russian defense forces, Ukrainian drones and missiles flying over Russian territory, and the recent evidence that Flight 8243 had been hit while approaching Grozny airport.
Jeju Air suspends flights in the wake of Flight 2216 crash
09 January 2025
Jeju Air suspended more than one thousand flights in the wake of its fatal accident in December.
The airline suffered its first fatal accident on December 29th, when Flight 2216, operated by a Boeing 737-800, crashed at Muan International Airport. The company announced the suspension to check its entire fleet, revise safety procedures, and support affected relatives and passengers.
The inquiry into the crash is ongoing.
Vertical Aerospace takes the next step of test flying its VX4 prototype
08 January 2025
Vertical Aerospace, a UK-based company that develops and builds electrically powered aircraft, took a new step with its VX4 prototype development. The VX4 is a tilt-rotor aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing and wings-generated lift in cruise flight. The aircraft already performed several unmanned flights and was slightly damaged during one of them. It has eight propellors: four in the front that act during take-off and horizontal flight and four aft that work only during take-off and landing.
The prototype successfully performed several manned flights, mainly slow-speed vertical flights, with Simon Davis, the company’s chief pilot, at the controls.
The company is working to extend its permit to fly for the next phase of testing, which is wing-supported horizontal flight.
Two more airlines suspend their flights to the Russian Federation
07 January 2025
Two more airlines have suspended flights to the Russian Federation in the wake of the crash of Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Flight 8243.
Air Serbia, one of the two European operators that still fly to Russia (the other being Turkish Airlines), and Qanot, a Uzbek operator, decided to suspend operations to Russian destinations. Air Serbia did not specify a reason for the decision, while Qanot mentioned that its A320s operating the routes to the Russian Federation will enter maintenance for a prolonged period.
The decision shrinks the pool of operators that still fly to Russian destinations even further after major airlines seized operations at the start of the war in 2022.
Iceland joins Eurocontrol starting on the 1st of January
06 January 2025
Iceland became the newest member of Eurocontrol, starting with the 1st of January, becoming the 42nd member of the organization. The move marks the first occasion in the past ten years since Estonia adhered in 2015.
For more than 25 years, the nation has been engaged in aviation-related collaboration, including operational coordination and data exchange. Its accession to EUROCONTROL formalizes this long-standing collaboration.
06 January 2025
Autonomy Global is a new digital hub launched on January 1st dedicated to delivering insights into the drone-producing industry. The portal features articles, news, and multimedia content on autonomous technologies, including drones, eVTOLs, counter-UAS, EVs, and robotics. The platform will serve as a centralized resource for developments across the defense, public safety, enterprise, and education sectors.
More details can be found directly on the portal at:
Emirates officially starts operating its A350
04 January 2025
Emirates Airlines just started operating its newest Airbus A350 aircraft. The first such flight landed at Edinburgh Airport, connecting Scotland to UAE.
The aircraft’s cabin is configured specifically for Emirates Airlines and is claimed to be ‘the quietest twin-aisle cabin of any aircraft.’
Emirates Airlines plans to use this model for eight more destinations in the coming months: Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kuwait, Bahrain, Colombo, Lyon, Muscat, and Bologna.
Airbus will buy back shares at the start of 2025
03 January 2025
In an announcement published on the official website of the consortium, Airbus unveiled it will buy back shares starting with the end of December 2024, until early 2025. The decision was made to support future employee share ownership, and aims to buy back a maximum of 10 % of the shares. The transactions are in line with the European Regulation no 596/2014 and are part of a second share buyback strategy announced in September 2024.
Boeing appoints Dana Deasy as Chief Information Officer
03 January 2025
Boeing appointed Dana Deasy as its new Chief Information Officer, starting with the 31st of December 2024. Deasy replaces Susan Doniz, who left the company at the end of the same year, bringing in more than forty years of experience in technology and leadership. Boeing's CEO and president, Kelly Ortberg, mentioned that 'Dana is a well-respected, global technology leader who has a track record of delivering on innovative technologies across large and complex organizations. With the need to stay vigilant to protect against cyber threats, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence playing a larger role across all industries, our IT team will have a key role as we focus on meeting our safety and quality goals, delivering reliably for our customers and positioning ourselves for the future.'
Deasy was formerly the Department of Defence's Chief Information Officer and the Secretary of Defense's primary advisor on information management matters.
Qatar Airways resumes flights to Syria
02 January 2025
The first external operator to resume flight to Syria, Qatar Airways marks the end of a period of thirteen years, during which the Qatari operator avoided the country. The move marks baby steps to normality after the country’s long-time ruler Bashar Al Assad’s flight to Russia.
The airline intends to operate a three-flight-per-week schedule starting on January 7, 2025, taking a bold and significant step to reconnect the region. The enterprise follows the recent opening of Damascus International Airport, which had been closed due to the events leading to Assad’s overthrow.
Air India offers free internet on domestic flights
02 January 2025
Good news for India’s domestic air travelers! The national carrier has decided to offer free internet access on its domestic flights. The decision comes after a relatively long period during which national regulations forbade in-flight internet access over Indian territory, a ban that was dropped in 2018. Currently, Air India offers complimentary in-flight internet access, intending to charge for the service later.
Access to the service was finally allowed starting in 2018, but only above FL100, fearing interference with electronic ground installations. In early 2024, this restriction was lifted, and operators flying above India enjoyed unlimited access to the internet.
The Indian carrier, owned by Tata Group, started the program one year prior, offering the service on international flights, and extended it for domestic ones at the beginning of 2025.
New Chinese fighter troubles Western observers
27 December 2024
Heading 5
Aviation news feeds were flooded by images of an unknown Chinese military aircraft, seen flying in formation at the end of December with one of China’s most advanced fighters, the J20. The unknown shape in the sky is claimed to be China’s first 6th-generation fighter jet. Little is known about the project, which apparently was developed in high secrecy. However, many Western analysts wonder if the project is a bluff or a true development since similar Western concepts are still during their research and design phase.
Speculations mention the fact that the technology needed for a sixth-generation fighter has not been properly developed yet, and the ideas surrounding such a concept are still vague. For example, Europe’s FCAS (Future Combat Air System) is expected to enter service in 2040. The American F/A-XX and NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) projects are also only on paper; entry to service is expected during the same period.
Under these circumstances, it remains to be seen whether China’s claimed sixth-generation fighter is only a PR stunt, a fifth-generation jet, or indeed proof that China is well ahead of the world.
Cessna SkyCourier receives Canadian type certification
17 December 2024
The SkyCourier, Cessna’s latest bush aircraft, received its Canadian type certificate. The cargo-carrying model will soon enter service with Air Bravo Corporation, a local Canadian operator. The aircraft is claimed to be a game changer due to its high load capacity, cheap operating costs, and its possibility of operating to remote airstrips far into the Canadian north.
The aircraft is a high-wing turboprop available in freighter and passenger variants and a Combi configuration. The passenger variant includes separate crew and passenger doors for smooth boarding, a large baggage compartment, and large cabin windows.
The freighter variant features a flat-floor cabin sized to handle up to three LD3 shipping containers, with an impressive 2.7-ton payload capability.
The aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65SC turboprops.
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Rotor Technologies paves the way for crop dusting UAVs
27 November 2024
Rotor Technologies, a manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles based in Nashua, NH, specializing in heavy-lift drones for agricultural and utility applications, unveiled its Sprayhawk, the world’s largest and most advanced agricultural UAV, at Perot Field Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas. Based on the Robinson R-44 helicopter, the Sprayhawk is basically an R-44 retrofitted with a spraying apparatus and remote control possibility.
It comes with a ground station from where the aircraft is piloted.
A five-minute demo flight took place before more than two hundred guests, with the Sprayhawk demonstrating its capabilities without a pilot onboard.
Rotor offers its products as newly built aircraft and kits that can be retrofitted to existing R-44 choppers.
The event marked a new step in UAV development, paving the way for large-scale agricultural work.