🇧🇭 A9C-XG, an Airbus A321-253neo, was delivered to Gulf Air (GF) on June 17.

🇲🇼 7Q-ASC, a Boeing 737-31B(SF), was delivered to Zebu Air (Z5) on June 17.

🇭🇷 9A-CAR, an Airbus A220-300, was delivered to Croatia Airlines (OU) on June 17.

🇮🇱 4X-BAK, an Airbus A330-243, was delivered to Israir Airlines (6H) on June 17. Previously N284AY with US Airways & American Airlines.

🇮🇱 4X-BAL, an Airbus A330-243, was delivered to Israir Airlines on June 17. Previously N285AY with US Airways & American Airlines.

🇲🇹 9H-CLW, an Embraer ERJ-190AR(F), was delivered to Bridges Air Cargo (7U) on June 14.

🇦🇪 A6-EXW, an Airbus A350-941, was delivered to Emirates (EK) on June 16.

🇨🇳 B-32PU, an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to China Southern Airlines (CZ) on June 16.

🇨🇳 B-32Q2, an Airbus A320-251neo, was delivered to Hainan Airlines (HU) on June 17.

🇨🇳 B-32QE, an Airbus A320-251neo, was delivered to Hainan Airlines on June 15.

🇨🇳 B-32SD, parks an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to China Eastern Airlines (MU) on June 17.

🇨🇳 B-32SH, an Airbus A320-251neo, was delivered to China Eastern Airlines on June 16.

🇨🇳 B-5135, a Boeing 737-84P(SF)(WL), was delivered to Tianjin Air Cargo (HT) on June 16.

🇨🇦 C-FSIP, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Air Canada on June 15.

🇬🇧 G-JZEB, an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to Jet2 on June 17.

🇸🇦 HZ-RXAE, a Boeing 787-9, was delivered to Riyadh Air (RX) on June 14.

🇯🇵 JA226P, an Airbus A320-251neo, was delivered to Peach (MM) on June 16.

🇺🇸 N17456, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, was delivered to United Airlines on June 16.

🇺🇸 N673AZ, a Boeing 767-300F, was delivered to ABX Air (GB) on June 14. Wears Amazon Prime Air livery.

🇺🇸 N826NV, a Boeing 737-8200 MAX, was delivered to Allegiant Air on June 17.

🇺🇸 N9011H, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Southwest Airlines (WN) on June 16.

🇦🇹 OE-LUI, an Airbus A320-251neo, was delivered to easyJet Europe (EC) on June 17.

🇨🇿 OK-SWO, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Smartwings on June 16.

🇵🇬 P2-ATS, an ATR 42-600 (42-500), was delivered to PNG Air (CG) on June 15.

🇹🇷 TC-RGA, an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to Pegasus (PC) on June 16.

🇻🇳 VN-A203, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to VietJetAir (VJ) on June 16.

🇳🇱 PH-AOA, an Airbus A330-203 with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL), was withdrawn from use (wfu) and ferried to Bydgoszcz, Poland (BZG) for part-out and scrap. A tip of the Stetson to anyone who can properly pronounce Bydgoszcz.

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Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners cleared 78.8 million passengers in May, a modest 0.5 percent decline from May 2025. The broader trend remains positive, with checkpoint traffic reaching 361.7 million passengers through the first five months of the year, up 0.8 percent year-over-year.

Passenger traffic across Canada’s 17 largest airports climbed to 5,552,106 travelers in May, a nearly four percent year-over-year increase. Year-to-date traffic now stands at 25,934,615 passengers, up 3.3 percent from the first five months of 2025, reflecting steady growth across the Canadian aviation market.

United Airlines (UA) has joined a growing list of U.S. carriers celebrating America’s 250th birthday with special aircraft liveries. The airline recently unveiled patriotic decals on Boeing 737-824 (N78285) and Boeing 787-10 (N91007), featuring red, white, and blue graphics commemorating the nation’s birthday on July 4, 2026. The 737 carries the airline’s “America Since 1776” design, while the 787 wears a matching Freedom 250 motif. N78285, featured on this issue’s cover, is one of the more eye-catching commemorative schemes to emerge from the anniversary celebrations so far. King George III was unavailable for comment.

First Quarter Red Ink
U.S. airlines slipped deeper into the red during the first quarter of 2026, posting a combined after-tax loss of $966 million, compared with a $209 million loss a year earlier. While the headline number looks ugly, the underlying picture is more nuanced. The industry still generated a pre-tax operating profit of $912 million on $63.4 billion in revenue, indicating that airlines remained profitable from core operations before taxes and other accounting items were factored in.

Domestic flying did much of the heavy lifting. U.S. airlines produced a domestic operating profit of $919 million despite recording a net loss of $531 million. International markets were weaker, with carriers posting an operating loss of $8 million and a net loss of $435 million, suggesting that some of the post-pandemic strength in long-haul markets has begun to cool.

Revenue composition changed only slightly. Passenger fares still accounted for nearly 73 percent of industry revenue, while baggage fees rose to $1.9 billion and represented 3.0 percent of total revenue. Labor remained the industry’s largest expense at $23.3 billion, or 37.3 percent of operating costs, while fuel accounted for $10.9 billion, or 17.5 percent.

The results also highlight the industry’s continued struggle with seasonality. Airlines earned $633 million in the stronger fourth quarter of 2025 before falling back into the red during the traditionally weaker January-March period. The industry’s net margin deteriorated to negative 1.5 percent, compared with negative 0.4 percent a year earlier.

Flightline’s Take: Despite the headlines, this was not a quarter of collapsing demand. Airlines still generated an operating profit and produced more than $63 billion in revenue. The bigger story is that margins remain razor thin. Labor costs continue to absorb more than a third of operating expenses, international profitability has weakened, and the industry’s ability to convert strong passenger volumes into bottom-line earnings remains elusive. Jet fuel prices about doubling certainly didn’t help.

The Maharajah Puts Away His Checkbook
Air India’s (AI) rapid growth plans appear to be slowing, as parent Tata Group reportedly shifts its focus from expansion to financial stability. The carrier is said to be negotiating with Airbus and Boeing to defer deliveries from its massive 600-aircraft order book while also reviewing planned route launches, trimming some services, and delaying expansion at airports such as Noida (DXN). The move follows reports that Air India posted annual losses approaching $3 billion, driven by fleet renewal costs, expenses related to the Vistara merger, higher fuel prices, Middle East airspace disruptions, Pakistan’s continued closure of its airspace to Indian carriers, and fallout from last year’s fatal Boeing 787 accident at Ahmedabad. While Air India remains committed to its long-term transformation strategy, the immediate priority appears to be improving profitability and operational performance rather than pursuing growth at all costs.

U.S. Closes Investigation Into Delta CrowdStrike Meltdown
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has closed its investigation into Delta Air Lines’ (DL) operational meltdown following the July 2024 CrowdStrike outage without imposing any penalties. The software failure triggered more than 7,000 cancellations, disrupted travel plans for roughly 1.3 million passengers, and cost Delta an estimated $500 million. Federal officials concluded that Delta provided adequate refunds, accommodations, and baggage assistance despite taking significantly longer to recover than most major U.S. airlines. Delta’s lawsuit against CrowdStrike remains active, with both sides continuing to argue over who bears responsibility for the carrier’s prolonged recovery.

The DOT has granted Riyadh Air a Foreign Air Carrier Permit (FACP) that gives the nascent carrier permission to begin flights to the U.S.

U.S. cargo airlines employed 472,319 workers in April 2026, or 46 percent of the industry-wide total. Cargo carriers gained 5,921 employees in April. FedEx (FX), the leading air cargo employer, increased employment by 5,984 jobs.