Tomorrow marks 25 years since the September 11 attacks, a day that permanently changed aviation and the world around it. American Airlines (AA) Flight 11 and United Airlines (UA) Flight 175 were flown into the World Trade Center, American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pa., after passengers and crew fought back against the hijackers. Nearly 3,000 people were killed, including the passengers and crews aboard all four aircraft. For those of us who follow aviation every day, the anniversary is also a reminder of how profoundly the industry changed afterward, from airport security and cockpit procedures to the way airlines, crews and passengers think about the risks of flying. Twenty-five years later, we remember those who were lost, their families, the first responders and everyone whose life was changed that morning.

🇳🇬 5N-ALU, an Embraer ERJ-190LR, was delivered to Caliphate Air (4C) on September 8.

🇵🇰 AP-BPO, an Airbus A320-232(WL), was delivered to AirSial (PF) on September 8.

🇨🇳 B-32S7, an Airbus A320-271neo, was delivered to West Air (PN) on September 5.

🇲🇩 ER-00015, an Airbus A321-231, was delivered to FLYONE (3F) on September 8.

🇵🇫 F-OPOE, an ATR 72-600 (72-212A), was delivered to Air Moana (NM) on September 5.

🇰🇷 HL8730, a Boeing 787-10, was delivered to Korean Air (KE) on September 8.

🇺🇸 N286GB, a Boeing 757-256(PCF)(WL), was delivered to Asia Pacific Airlines (P9) on September 6.

🇺🇸 N571AS, a Boeing 737-804(BCF)(WL), was delivered to Hawaiian Air Cargo (HA) on September 8.

🇺🇸 N688FR, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to Frontier Airlines (F9) on September 8.

🇺🇸 N706SY, an Embraer ERJ-170LR (ERJ-170-100 LR), was delivered to SkyWest Airlines (OO) on September 8.

🇦🇹 OE-IBY, a Boeing 737-8AS(BCF)(WL), was delivered to ASL Aviation Holdings (5°) on September 7.

🇮🇩 PK-TLQ, an Airbus A320-214(WL), was delivered to TransNusa (8B) on September 5.

🇧🇷 PS-LQA, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to LATAM Airlines Brasil (JJ) on September 5.

🇮🇱 4X-EKW, a Boeing 737-8H4(WL), was delivered to El Al Israel Airlines (LY) on September 7.

🇷🇴 YR-BGO, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to TAROM (RO) on September 7.

🇿🇦 ZS-LKK, an Embraer E195-E2, was delivered to Airlink (4Z) on September 9.

🇿🇦 ZS-XZR, an ATR 72-500(F), was delivered to DHL Aviation (D0) on September 6.

🇨🇦 CATSA screeners at Canada’s 17 largest airports screened 6,938,809 passengers in August, up 6.2 percent from 6,536,401 in August 2025. Through the first eight months of the year, passenger traffic reached 45,434,787, compared with 44,084,071 during the same period last year, an increase of 3.1 percent.

UPDATE: A passenger restrained with zip ties and duct tape after an alleged outburst last week aboard American Airlines Flight 618 has been identified as Arthur Lundeen, a 67-year-old real estate broker from Tucson, Ariz. Witnesses said Lundeen directed racist and anti-gay slurs at a flight attendant and other passengers before becoming violent, forcing fellow travelers to restrain him as the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Newark, N.J. flight diverted to Baltimore (BWI) on Sept. 3. He was arrested and charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) continues to investigate what happened in the air. Long Realty later ended its affiliation with Lundeen. He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court Oct. 19.

DID YOU KNOW? The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Bin Advertising Program lets airports work with private companies that provide screening bins, carts and sometimes checkpoint tables in exchange for the right to sell advertising on them. The idea started as a pilot at Los Angeles (LAX) in 2006 and was expanded nationwide in 2008. SecurityPoint Media has become the dominant provider, owning and maintaining the equipment, installing the ads and replacing damaged items. TSA approves the equipment and advertising standards, but it does not receive the ad revenue. Its payoff is simpler: free checkpoint equipment and lower replacement and maintenance costs. During an early 14-airport trial, TSA reportedly received about $435,000 worth of equipment.

What advertisers pay depends on the airport, passenger volume, campaign length and how much of the checkpoint they want to cover. A four-week campaign at Charlotte, for example, can run anywhere from about $8,000 to $30,000, while major-airport takeovers can cost far more. The money is generally split between the airport and the concessionaire, with the private company keeping most of it. One Houston agreement was expected to generate about $356,000 a year, with the airport receiving 15 percent, or $53,400, and the concessionaire keeping roughly $302,600 before expenses. Supporters say the setup saves TSA money and gives airports another source of revenue. Critics see it differently, arguing that private companies are making money off a captive audience created by a mandatory government screening process, while TSA itself gets no direct cut and passengers have little choice but to see the ads.

Vueling (VY) has postponed the planned service entry of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet to January 6, from the previously scheduled December 18, according to its latest schedule update.

Air Cairo has placed a firm order for 15 Airbus A320neo aircraft at the El Alamein International Airshow, marking its first direct aircraft purchase from Airbus. The Egyptian carrier, which has expanded from seven aircraft five years ago to more than 45 today, plans to grow its fleet to more than 130 aircraft by 2034. The new aircraft will complement its leased fleet and support domestic, regional and international expansion.

airBaltic (BT) carried 554,700 passengers in August, up five percent from a year earlier, while operating 4,801 flights, an increase of 7.9 percent. The added capacity outpaced passenger growth, pushing load factor down 2.3 percentage points to 83.9 percent. Through the first eight months of 2026, the airline carried a record 3.57 million passengers, up four percent, on 33,220 flights, 5.7 percent more than during the same period last year. Looking ahead to summer 2027, airBaltic plans to offer 57 nonstop destinations from Riga (RIX), 13 from Tallinn (TLL) and eight from Vilnius (VNO).

ANA Holdings, parent of All Nippon Airways, has finalized an order for eight more Embraer E190-E2s, taking its firm order for the type to 23 aircraft while keeping five options. The deal confirms the expansion announced in late July and builds on ANA’s original 15-aircraft order from 2025. The first E190-E2 is still expected to arrive in 2028, giving the group a new aircraft aimed at thinner domestic and regional routes where a larger narrow-body can be too much capacity.

A failure in NATS’ flight-processing system caused widespread disruption across London on September 8, with hundreds of delays and cancellations at Heathrow (LHR), Gatwick (LGW), Stansted (STN), Luton (LTN) and London City (LCY), along with knock-on effects elsewhere in Europe. NATS said a fix was in place by about 4:40 p.m. local time, but the damage was already done and airlines spent hours trying to recover their schedules. Ryanair said more than 65,000 passengers were affected and went straight on the attack, calling for NATS Chief Executive Martin Rolfe to resign.

easyJet (U2) is facing a lawsuit worth about $72 million over six Airbus A320-family aircraft it stopped operating after sanctions were imposed following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The jets were leased from STLC Europe Eight, linked to Russia’s State Transport Leasing Company, and were left parked in Madrid and Larnaca after easyJet concluded it could no longer legally continue the leases. Liquidators now say the airline should have continued maintaining the aircraft and are seeking $36.7 million in unpaid rent, $32.5 million for lost aircraft value and roughly €2.8 million in parking charges. easyJet says it will fight the case as Apollo Global Management continues with its planned acquisition of the airline.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) yesterday released U.S. airlines’ July 2026 fuel cost and consumption numbers, indicating total fuel expenditure of $5.89 billion by U.S. scheduled-service airlines was down 1.8 percent from June 2026 ($5.99 billion) and up 43.0 percent from July 2025 ($4.12 billion). The airlines used 1.732 billion gallons of fuel, 3.8 percent more than in June 2026 (1.668 billion gallons) and 1.6 percent less than in July 2025 (1.760 billion gallons). The cost per gallon of fuel in July 2026 was $3.40, down 19 cents, or 5.4 percent, from June 2026 ($3.59) and up $1.06, or 45.4 percent, from July 2025 ($2.34).

Cathay Pacific (CX) is working with Google on an AI-powered system designed to help pilots avoid atmospheric conditions that produce persistent contrails, which can trap heat and contribute significantly to aviation’s climate impact. The technology uses satellite imagery and advanced weather forecasting to identify areas where contrails are likely to form and recommend small altitude or routing changes, with pilots retaining the final decision. Cathay tested the system on 100 flights last year, with pilots using the optimized plans on 80 of them, and Google estimates the trial reduced contrail-related warming impact by about 40 percent. Researchers believe relatively small operational changes could have an outsized effect, with adjusting only a small percentage of flights potentially eliminating much of contrail-related warming.

U.S. President Donald Trump called for an end to U.S. sales of Bombardier aircraft on September 7, renewing a dispute over Canadian certification of Gulfstream business jets. The White House had not explained how the proposed restriction would be implemented, and the announcement did not establish an enforceable sales ban. Bombardier employs about 3,000 people in the United States and uses American suppliers, creating potential implications for U.S. workers and aircraft operators. Earlier threats made this year to revoke aircraft certifications and impose a 50 percent tariff were not implemented.

Canadian travel to the Dominican Republic is surging, and it is another pretty clear sign of where some of that tourism money is going as Canadians continue to pull back from the U.S. Passenger traffic from Canada is up 62 percent at Samaná (AZS) and 13 percent at Puerto Plata (POP) compared with 2025. Dominican airports are responding by increasing Canadian seat capacity by as much as 39 percent for the 2026-27 winter season, while new service includes Air Canada (AC) flights from Montreal to Santo Domingo (SDQ). At the same time, Canadian travel to the U.S. remains weak. Statistics Canada says return trips from the United States fell 25.4 percent in 2025, while overseas leisure travel rose 12.2 percent. Canadian spending on U.S. trips also dropped by $3.3 billion to $18.8 billion. The takeaway is pretty simple: Canadians are still traveling and still spending, but more of that money is going to places like the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Europe instead of the U.S. How anyone who has followed the news for the past two years could be surprised by that is hard to fathom.

SWISS plans to donate the final Airbus A340-300 in its fleet to the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne after the aircraft is retired, with arrival expected in early 2028. This will close out the four-engine era at SWISS and preserve an aircraft that was a major part of the airline’s long-haul operation for years. Getting a 125-ton A340 from Zurich Airport (ZRH) to Lucerne will not be simple, though. The move will require permits, structural work and a carefully planned overland journey. The museum also needs to raise a multimillion-dollar sum by the end of 2026 to pay for the transport, modifications and preparation for public display. If everything comes together, the A340 will sit alongside the museum’s former Swissair Convair 990 as another piece of Switzerland’s four-engine airline history.

The proposed merger of Mexican ultra-low-cost carriers Viva and Volaris (Y4) has cleared an important hurdle in the U.S. after the Federal Trade Commission signed off on the deal. That puts the spotlight back on Mexico, where the National Antitrust Commission is expected to make its decision by the end of 2026. If approved, the airlines would sit under a new holding company called Grupo Más Vuelos while continuing to operate as separate brands. Together, they would control more than 70 percent of Mexico’s domestic traffic and about 27 percent of the U.S.-Mexico market, with at least 60 million passengers a year. The airlines say the combination would cut costs, improve scale and help support more international growth. Mexican regulators will also be looking at Viva’s interests in ground transportation, which adds another layer to an already very concentrated domestic market.

Volaris carried 3.19 million passengers in August, up a strong 17.5 percent from 2.71 million a year earlier. Domestic traffic accounted for 2.37 million passengers, an 18.0 percent increase, while international passengers rose 16.1 percent to 822,000. Despite that growth, Volaris’ overall load factor slipped slightly to 84.4 percent, down 0.3 percentage points from August 2025, as capacity grew a little faster than traffic. The domestic load factor fell nearly four points to 86.4 percent, while international performance moved sharply in the other direction, climbing 4.3 points to 81.6 percent. Through the first eight months of 2026, Volaris has carried 22.31 million passengers, up 9.2 percent year over year, while its year-to-date load factor improved 1.1 points to 85.3 percent.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is examining an unusual sequence of events during the runway overrun of a 21 Air (2I) Boeing 767-300 (N1997A) freighter operating for Amazon Prime Air last week. Preliminary information shows the aircraft’s thrust was increased to go-around power about 15 seconds after touchdown before being reduced again to idle. Investigators have not yet determined whether the power increase represented an attempted go-around or what prompted the crew action. The 767 subsequently overran the runway, and investigators are continuing to examine the crew’s actions, aircraft systems and landing sequence as they work to determine the cause of the accident, which killed five people on the ground.

After that deadly Amazon Prime Air crash in Miami, I began to wonder exactly how many carriers and aircraft made up the Amazon fleet. Amazon Air contracts its U.S. freighter flying to certificated airlines, including Air Transport International (8C), reportedly operating about 40 Boeing 767s for Amazon; fellow ATSG subsidiary ABX Air (GB), also flying Boeing 767s; 21 Air, recently reported to have eight Amazon aircraft; and Sun Country Airlines (SY), with 22 Boeing 737-800 freighters dedicated to the network. Another 10 Airbus A330-300P2Fs introduced by Hawaiian Airlines now operate under Alaska Airlines’ (AS) certificate, while former partner Atlas Air (5Y) ended its Amazon flying in 2025. These reported allocations can change and do not necessarily represent aircraft available for service on any particular day.

Why, then, does Amazon not need its own FAA certificate for this fleet? The regulatory distinction centers on who operates the flights: owning aircraft, purchasing capacity or holding an airline investment does not, by itself, make a company the certificated operator. The contracted airlines remain responsible for operational control, including decisions about whether flights can safely depart, continue, divert or terminate. Amazon’s commercial influence warrants scrutiny, but an ownership stake alone does not establish that it exercises those responsibilities. If Amazon assumed direct operational control, the certification question would change; that would require evidence about its actual role, rather than an inference from its branding or investments.

Airbus has landed a firm order for eight additional A350F freighters from an undisclosed customer, taking total orders for the type to 115 aircraft. The deal was booked on Aug. 31 and continues a strong year for the program, with the A350F order book up about 42 percent since the start of 2026. The timing is notable because the aircraft is now approaching its first flight, currently expected later this month. Atlas Air remains the largest customer with 20 on order, while other buyers include Air China Cargo, Cathay Pacific and CMA CGM. The A350F is Airbus’ answer to Boeing’s 777-8F and is being positioned as a more fuel-efficient replacement for older 747 and 777 freighters.