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Amerijet Boeing 767 suffers substantial fuselage damage after hard landing in Guatemala

By
Bart Noëth
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0

An Amerijet International Boeing 767-300 freighter sustained substantial structural damage after making a hard landing at Guatemala City’s La Aurora International Airport on September 6, leaving the aircraft grounded at the airport.

The aircraft, registered N373CM, was operating Amerijet flight M68743 from Miami to San Juan when it diverted to Guatemala City. According to information published by aviation safety sources, the Boeing 767 landed on Runway 02 at around 23:30 local time on September 6, touching down hard and reportedly making initial contact with the nose landing gear. The aircraft subsequently rolled out normally and taxied to the apron. A post-flight inspection, however, revealed significant structural damage to the fuselage.

Amerijet’s maintenance monitoring system lists N373CM as AOG (Aircraft on Ground) at Guatemala City, with the damage described as: “Buckle Damage, Top Fuselage, STA 650 S14L to S14R.” Maintenance personnel mapped the damage and sent photographs to engineering, which subsequently forwarded the information to Boeing for assessment and evaluation.

A service difficulty report filed with the FAA on September 9 reportedly describes damage not only to the fuselage skin, but also to several frames and stringers, with components described as damaged, bent or broken. This indicates that the hard landing caused structural damage beyond a superficial crease in the fuselage skin.

Photographs of the aircraft at Guatemala City show (see below) visible buckling or creasing across the upper forward fuselage. N373CM remains grounded at GUA while Amerijet and Boeing determine the required repairs.

Amerijet’s latest maintenance information indicates that the airline is working on a temporary repair that would allow the aircraft to be ferried to an MRO facility for further work. The aircraft is currently listed as “Enroute AOG” at GUA, with its eventual return to service still to be determined.

N373CM is a Boeing 767-338ER(BDSF) dating from 1990. The aircraft was originally built as a passenger aircraft for Qantas before being converted to a freighter and subsequently operated by Amerijet.

Passenger arriving from Charleroi at Palma de Mallorca caught with 109 cocaine packets inside his body

By
André Orban
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0
Lauda Air Europe Boeing 737-800

Spanish authorities intercepted a 46-year-old Nigerian man at Palma de Mallorca Airport after discovering 109 packets of suspected cocaine concealed inside his body.

The passenger arrived from Brussels South Charleroi Airport on the night of 6 September on Ryanair flight FR7831 operated by Lauda Europe Boeing 737-800 registered 9H-LOR. Acting on advance intelligence, officers from the Spanish Civil Guard, National Police and Customs Surveillance identified him in the terminal and took him to the airport’s customs facilities.

An X-ray examination revealed numerous foreign objects arranged in a manner consistent with internally concealed drug packets. Police arrested the man and transferred him under guard to Son Espases University Hospital, where he remained under medical supervision while the packets were expelled naturally.

Authorities recovered 109 pellets containing approximately 1.35 kilograms of a substance that tested preliminarily as cocaine. Following a court appearance, the suspect was remanded in custody.

The joint operation formed part of efforts to combat drug trafficking through the principal entry points to Spain’s Balearic Islands.

Nashville Airport begins renaming process in honour of Dolly Parton

By
André Orban
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0
Nashhville Airport restaurants © Mx. Granger https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56447026

Nashville International Airport could soon carry the name of Tennessee’s best-known musical ambassador after its governing board unanimously approved the first step towards renaming the airport in honour of Dolly Parton.

The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority voted 6–0 on 11 September to modify its naming policy and begin the process. However, airport officials emphasised that the decision does not yet constitute a final name change. MNAA will consult Parton’s estate, family and foundation to determine how her name and legacy should be incorporated.

Young Dolly Parton © Wikipedia

“Dolly Parton International Airport” has emerged as the most widely discussed option, although the authority has not formally endorsed a final title. The airport’s IATA code, BNA, is expected to remain unchanged, avoiding disruption to airline schedules, reservation systems and passenger information.

The campaign began with an online petition in 2025 and gained momentum after the country music star’s death on 25 August 2026. More than 175,000 people have reportedly supported the proposal, which has also received backing from Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell.

Lee described Parton as Tennessee’s “favourite daughter”, arguing that the state’s principal international gateway would be an appropriate place to celebrate her music, generosity and global influence.

The renaming remains a complex undertaking involving legal approvals, branding, signage and coordination with airlines and government agencies. No timetable or budget has been confirmed, but MNAA expects to announce more detailed plans in the coming months.

International growth offsets weaker domestic traffic at Norwegian airports

By
André Orban
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0

Nearly five million passengers travelled through Avinor’s airports in August 2026, a marginal decline of 0.2% compared with the same month last year. Domestic traffic fell by 2.1% to 2.52 million passengers, while international traffic increased by 1.8% to 2.39 million.

International demand was particularly strong at regional airports. Bergen recorded a 13.4% rise in international passengers and overall growth of 4.3%. Tromsø’s international traffic surged by more than 21%, lifting its total by 3%, while Harstad/Narvik Airport at Evenes welcomed 8.4% more passengers.

The largest domestic hubs performed less strongly. Passenger numbers declined by 1.6% at Oslo and by 0.4% at both Trondheim and Stavanger. Among smaller airports, Florø recorded growth of 14.4%, while Molde suffered the sharpest decline, falling 11.3%.

Avinor handled 55,918 aircraft movements during August, down 0.3%. During the first eight months of 2026, passenger traffic increased by 1.7% to 35.9 million, driven mainly by nearly 3% growth in international travel. Domestic traffic rose by a more modest 0.7%.

London Heathrow handles 23 million summer passengers as demand for slots grows

By
André Orban
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0
Couple sitting in Terminal 2, chatting. A man and woman sitting on luggage at an airport.

Heathrow handled 23 million passengers between June and August 2026, ending a strong peak summer season. In August alone, the airport welcomed 7.8 million travellers and recorded its busiest day ever on 2 August, when nearly 272,000 passengers passed through the hub.

Operational performance remained strong despite wider disruption across the aviation sector. Heathrow said 98% of passengers waited less than five minutes at security, while 98% of checked bags departed as planned. The airport also retained its position as Europe’s most punctual hub.

Xiamen Airlines became Heathrow’s newest carrier in September, while more than 40 existing and prospective airlines are reportedly seeking scarce slots. Around three-quarters of their proposed routes would be long-haul services, but the airport says its two runways are already operating at capacity.

Heathrow is using the figures to strengthen its case for expansion, arguing that additional runway capacity could support 108,000 jobs, increase the UK’s trading capacity by 50% and encourage greater competition. The airport maintains that the project would proceed within strict limits governing carbon emissions, noise and air quality.

Following the closure of the consultation on the Heathrow Expansion National Policy Statement, the airport is preparing to present its case to Parliament. Chief executive Thomas Woldbye described the list of airlines awaiting slots as Heathrow’s “longest queue” and called expansion a national project capable of unlocking wider economic growth.

Frankfurt Airport passenger traffic remains flat as cargo grows in August

By
André Orban
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0

Frankfurt Airport handled around 6.3 million passengers in August 2026, a slight decrease of 0.3% from the same month last year but its highest monthly total of 2026. The airport’s two busiest days of the year also occurred in August, with each exceeding 220,000 passengers.

Cargo volumes rose by 2.9% to 179,400 tonnes. Aircraft movements fell by 4.6% to 40,968 take-offs and landings, while accumulated maximum take-off weight declined by 1.6% to approximately 2.6 million tonnes.

Most of Fraport’s international airports reported passenger growth. Ljubljana recorded the strongest increase, rising 19.3% to 222,231 passengers. Traffic grew by 5.1% across the group’s 14 Greek airports, by 4.9% at Lima and the two Brazilian airports, and by 2.1% at Burgas and Varna. Antalya was the main exception, with traffic slipping 0.9% to 5.9 million passengers.

Across all airports actively managed by Fraport, passenger numbers increased by 2.1% to approximately 24.1 million.

Zurich Airport passenger traffic rises 1.8% in August 2026

By
André Orban
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0

Zurich Airport handled 3,326,119 passengers in August 2026, up 1.8% from the same month last year. Local traffic accounted for 2,303,777 passengers, while 1,016,420 passengers transferred through the airport, representing 30.6% of the total.

Aircraft movements rose more strongly, increasing by 2.9% to 26,009 take-offs and landings. However, the average number of passengers per movement fell by 2.2% to 142.6, while the average seat load factor declined by 1.4 percentage points to 83.4%.

Cargo traffic remained broadly stable, with 34,444 tonnes of freight handled during the month, down 0.4% year on year.

KLM Cityhopper marks 60 years as cornerstone of KLM’s European network

By
André Orban
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0

KLM Cityhopper is celebrating its 60th anniversary, having developed from a small domestic carrier into a central component of KLM’s European network and Amsterdam Schiphol’s hub operation.

The airline began in 1966 as Nederlandse Luchtvaart Maatschappij (NLM), operating two leased Fokker aircraft on domestic routes. The Cityhopper name appeared in 1976, before mergers with NetherLines in 1991 and the subsequent integration of KLM UK created the present-day KLM Cityhopper.

Today, the regional subsidiary operates 58 aircraft to more than 80 destinations, conducting over 350 daily flights and carrying approximately 11 million passengers annually. Its services bring European travellers to Schiphol for onward intercontinental connections while distributing passengers arriving from around the world across Europe. Recent additions include Biarritz, Exeter, Dubrovnik, Ljubljana, Cork, Jersey, Santiago de Compostela and Oviedo.

KLM Cityhopper also serves as an innovation testbed for the wider KLM Group. Projects include virtual-reality pilot training, the OptiClimb fuel-saving application and trials involving artificial intelligence, sustainable aviation fuel, weight reduction, food-waste prevention and electrified ground operations.

After decades of flying Dutch-built Fokker aircraft, the airline began transitioning to Embraer in 2008. Embraer aircraft now form the backbone of its 58-strong fleet, including the quieter and more fuel-efficient E195-E2. KLM Cityhopper intends to continue modernising its fleet, optimising its network and adding European destinations.

TUI Airways flight returns safely to Cardiff after bird strike and engine flames

By
André Orban
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0

TUI Airways flight BY6312 from Cardiff to Paphos (Boeing 737-800 registered G-FDZR) made an emergency return shortly after take-off on Wednesday, 9 September, after encountering a flock of birds.

Video recorded by passengers showed flames coming from the engine beneath the aircraft’s right wing. One passenger also reported smelling burning inside the cabin.

The aircraft landed safely at Cardiff Airport at approximately 14:52, where it was met by airport fire and rescue crews. All passengers and crew were unharmed. The runway reopened at 15:22 and normal operations resumed.

A replacement flight departed for Paphos at 12:25 the following day. According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, more than 1,700 bird strikes were recorded nationally last year, although incidents causing serious aircraft damage or fatalities remain extremely rare.

Wizz Air restores 12 Middle East routes for winter 2026/27

By
André Orban
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0

Wizz Air is progressively restoring services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Amman for the 2026/27 winter season, offering 12 routes and 49 weekly flights from nine European cities.

Flights to Jeddah from Milan and Rome resumed in early September, while the Budapest–Amman route restarts on 22 September. Services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi will return between 25 and 27 October from Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia, Larnaca, Cluj, Kraków and Katowice.

The restored network will provide approximately 470,000 seats during the winter season, with one-way fares starting at €24.99. Frequencies range from twice weekly on Cluj–Abu Dhabi to daily services between Milan and Jeddah and between Bucharest and Dubai.

Wizz Air said the phased resumption follows EASA’s revised conflict-zone recommendations and the airline’s own security and operational assessments. It will continue monitoring regional developments, with all flights remaining subject to ongoing safety reviews.

Emirates secures Berlin flights as UAE pledges €40 billion investment in Germany

By
André Orban
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0

Germany and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to revitalise their strategic partnership following talks in Berlin between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The cooperation will cover security, defence, trade, energy, climate, technology, digitalisation and transport.

The UAE plans to invest an additional €40 billion in Germany, more than doubling its current investment of approximately €34 billion. During the first state visit to Germany by a UAE president, German and Emirati companies also signed 29 agreements reportedly worth nearly €9.4 billion.

The visit produced closer defence, police and security cooperation, while German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier highlighted the Emirates’ economic diversification and its potential as a partner in renewable energy and hydrogen.

In a significant aviation development, Emirates has secured additional German traffic rights and plans to launch daily flights between Dubai and Berlin Brandenburg Airport. The service forms part of a new bilateral air transport agreement and will add Berlin to Emirates’ existing German destinations of Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. Berlin officials said the route would strengthen BER’s long-haul connectivity and deepen economic ties between the two regions.

Airbus begins development of first IRIS² satellites

By
André Orban
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0
IRIS² satellite

Airbus Defence and Space has signed an initial contract to design and manufacture satellites for the first low-Earth-orbit layer of the European Union’s IRIS² secure-connectivity constellation.

Eutelsat, which leads the LEO segment within the SpaceRISE consortium, has authorised Airbus and Thales Alenia Space to begin work. The initial layer will comprise at least 66 satellites, scheduled for delivery in 2029, and will provide sovereign military Ka-band communications for European users.

Airbus will manufacture the satellite platforms and perform final integration in Toulouse, using payloads supplied by Thales Alenia Space. The same high-volume production facility is already building new OneWeb satellites for Eutelsat.

IRIS² will combine satellites in different orbits to provide secure and resilient connectivity for European governments, businesses and citizens. The programme is intended to strengthen Europe’s digital sovereignty and strategic autonomy while also offering services to international partners.

Transavia adds destinations from Amsterdam and Brussels for summer 2027

By
André Orban
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0

Transavia is expanding its summer 2027 network with new and returning routes from Amsterdam and Brussels.

From Amsterdam Schiphol, the airline will add Murcia and Pula, restore flights to Reus and transfer its Trieste service from Rotterdam. Pula will continue to be served from Rotterdam as well.

From Brussels Airport, Transavia will add Heraklion, Thessaloniki and Ponta Delgada. Porto, launching from Brussels during the winter season, will continue four times weekly throughout summer 2027, becoming a year-round route.

During Eindhoven Airport’s temporary closure through 18 July 2027, much of Transavia’s Eindhoven programme will operate from Maastricht Aachen and Weeze airports. Services will return to Eindhoven after it reopens.

The complete summer schedule, covering 87 destinations and 162 routes, will go on sale on 16 September.

BOC Aviation to lease 12 Airbus A320neos to Avianca

By
André Orban
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0

BOC Aviation has agreed to purchase 12 Airbus A320neo aircraft for long-term lease to Avianca, with deliveries scheduled for 2029.

All 12 aircraft will be powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines. The transaction expands the lessor’s existing relationship with the Colombian carrier and provides pre-delivery payment financing as Airbus increases production.

Avianca parent company Abra Group said the aircraft would support its long-term fleet strategy and regional growth. The additional A320neos are expected to improve fuel efficiency and operating performance while supporting stronger connectivity across Latin America.

European Sleeper launches Brussels–Milan night train

By
André Orban
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0

European Sleeper has launched a new overnight rail service between Brussels and Milan, operating three times weekly in each direction.

Trains leave Brussels at 19:10 and arrive in Milan at 11:40 the following morning. Northbound services depart Milan at approximately 16:45 and reach Brussels shortly before noon. Initial stops include Verviers, Cologne, Aarau, Lugano and Como.

From mid-December, the route between Brussels and Cologne will change. Trains will operate via Antwerp, Breda and Eindhoven instead of Verviers and Aachen.

The Brussels–Milan service expands European Sleeper’s growing network, which already includes overnight connections linking Brussels with Berlin, Dresden, Prague and Hamburg.

Further expansion is planned, including a Brussels and Amsterdam service to Copenhagen and Malmö in 2028. Barcelona is also being considered as a future destination.

Eurowings opens crew training centre near Düsseldorf Airport

By
André Orban
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0
Inauguration Eurowings Crew Training Center Düsseldorf 09/09/2026 (Eurowings COO Edi Wolfensberger, Matthias Spohr CEO Lufthansa Aviation Training)

Eurowings and Lufthansa Aviation Training have opened their first joint crew training centre near Düsseldorf Airport, the airline’s largest operating base.

The 2,000-square-metre facility provides safety and service training for cockpit and cabin crews and can accommodate up to 150 trainees daily. Lufthansa Aviation Training operates the centre on behalf of Eurowings.

Equipment includes a cabin mock-up for evacuation exercises, an aircraft-door trainer, Airbus A320 training systems and an evacuation-slide tower. An outdoor area allows crews to practise onboard firefighting, while virtual-reality training will be introduced in 2027.

Eurowings is also adopting a more practical approach to recurrent training, using situations drawn from everyday flight operations. It becomes the second Lufthansa Group carrier to introduce the revised concept, following Brussels Airlines.

The facility’s proximity to Düsseldorf Airport will reduce travel requirements for crews while strengthening the Lufthansa Group’s aviation-training infrastructure in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Qatar Airways expands winter network to more than 170 destinations

By
André Orban
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0

Qatar Airways will serve more than 170 destinations during the 2026/27 winter season, operating nearly 1,800 weekly flights through its Doha hub by December.

The airline will resume daily services to Zanzibar on 25 October and Canberra via Melbourne on 9 December. Melbourne will increase from seven to 14 weekly flights, while partner Virgin Australia will add Doha services from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

In Asia, Phuket and Malé will each increase to 21 weekly flights from 25 October. Ho Chi Minh City will rise from seven to 11 weekly services, including four non-stop flights, while Kuala Lumpur will receive 18 Qatar Airways flights alongside 14 weekly Malaysia Airlines services.

European expansion includes London Heathrow, which will increase from 49 to 56 weekly flights on 25 October, supplemented by British Airways’ daily Doha service. Frankfurt will rise from 18 to 21 weekly flights from 7 December.

Elsewhere, Montréal will become daily, Johannesburg will increase to 18 weekly flights and Seychelles will move from four to seven from March 2027. Qatar Airways will also restore twice-weekly services to Qassim, Taif, Yanbu and Tabuk, taking its Saudi Arabian network to 12 destinations and more than 155 weekly flights.

The carrier is simultaneously expanding Starlink connectivity, with more than 150 widebody aircraft equipped and as many as 340 Wi-Fi-enabled flights operating daily.

Emergency slide accidentally deployed on Air Force One before Trump flight

By
André Orban
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0
Source: ABC on Facebook

US military personnel accidentally activated an emergency evacuation slide on the Boeing 747-8 used as Air Force One shortly before President Donald Trump was due to fly to Dallas on Wednesday.

Trump remained aboard the Marine One helicopter for several minutes while officials inspected and reset the slide. He subsequently boarded the aircraft, saying there were no safety or security concerns. The flight landed safely in Dallas at around 17:15 Eastern Time, approximately two hours later than expected.

The aircraft was donated by Qatar’s royal family in 2025 for presidential use while Boeing completes two delayed replacement Air Force One aircraft, currently expected in 2028.

The incident comes amid continuing questions about the aircraft’s protective equipment. Officials maintain that it is safe, although previous reports indicated that it did not initially incorporate all the security systems fitted to the older presidential aircraft. Further upgrades and enhancements have therefore been planned.

French Armed Forces order eight Airbus U050 Capa-X drones

By
André Orban
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0

The French Aeronautical Maintenance Directorate has ordered four additional U050 Capa-X systems from Airbus Helicopters following successful trials of an initial system acquired in late 2025.

Each system comprises two unmanned aircraft, bringing the new order to eight drones. Two systems will be allocated to the French Navy and two to the French Army under the Light Tactical Drone System evaluation programme. Deliveries are scheduled for 2027.

During land and maritime trials in 2025 and early 2026, the U050 demonstrated seven-hour endurance, a 100-kilometre operating range and the ability to carry two payloads simultaneously. Its complete support equipment can be transported on two pickup trucks, limiting its logistical footprint.

The 120-kilogram modular aircraft can carry payloads of up to 20 kilograms and offers a maximum endurance of ten hours. The initial configuration combines an electro-optical pod for imagery intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance with signals-intelligence equipment.

Airbus said the platform can be rapidly reconfigured and upgraded with additional capabilities as operational requirements evolve. The order moves the U050 Capa-X programme into its initial operational phase.

Aer Lingus deploys Airbus A330 widebody to Brussels

By
André Orban
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0

Brussels Airport welcomed an unusual Aer Lingus widebody on Wednesday, 9 September, when the Irish carrier deployed an Airbus A330-300 on its morning service between Dublin and the Belgian capital.

The long-haul aircraft operated the Dublin–Brussels rotation and returned to Ireland as flight EI631. It left Brussels at 11:39 and arrived in Dublin at 11:50 local time, around ten minutes behind schedule.

Aer Lingus normally serves the 784-kilometre route with a single-aisle Airbus A320, configured with approximately 174 seats. The A330-300 used on Wednesday offered around 315 seats, including 30 business-class seats, providing substantially more capacity than usual.

The reason for the one-off substitution has not been officially confirmed. It may have reflected operational requirements, aircraft positioning or stronger passenger demand rather than a permanent capacity increase. Published schedules show the route returning to A320 operation on 10 September, although another A330-300 rotation was listed for 20 September.

Despite initial reports identifying the aircraft as an A330-200, flight records classify the aircraft operating the 9 September service as an A330-300. The appearance of an Aer Lingus widebody at Brussels nevertheless provided an uncommon sight, as the airline’s A330 fleet is primarily deployed on transatlantic services.

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