Flightline Briefing 75 - March 5, 2026

🇲🇹 9H-WMW, an Airbus A321neo, was delivered to Wizz Air Malta (W4) on March 4.

🇨🇳 B-659W, a COMAC C919-100STD, was delivered to China Southern Airlines (CZ) on March 2.

🇱🇹 LY-EKB, an Airbus A320-232, was delivered to GetJet Airlines (GW) on March 3.

🇲🇾 9M-MNP, an Airbus A330-941, was delivered to Malaysia Airlines (MH) on March 3.

🇺🇸 N14569, an Airbus A321neo, was delivered to United Airlines (UA) on March 3.

🇺🇸 N54558, an Airbus A321neo, was delivered to United Airlines on March 2.

🇦🇹 OE-INL, an Airbus A320-214(WL), was delivered to easyJet Europe on March 2.

🇪🇬 SU-BQR, an Airbus A320-214, was delivered to Nile Air (NP) on March 3.

🇺🇸 N880UA, an Airbus A319-132 with United Airlines, was withdrawn from use (wfu) and ferried on February 19 to Victorville, Calif. (VCV) for part-out and scrap. This frame was delivered new to China Southern Airlines as B-2296 in March 2005. It joined United in November 2019 and had accumulated 56,832 hours and 33,643 cycles as of January 5, 2026.

On February 24, JetBlue Flight 514, an Airbus A321 scheduled from Fort Lauderdale to Boston, was forced to evacuate prior to departure following a unique and highly disruptive security incident. After being informed by cabin crew that overhead bin space was full and his carry-on would need to be gate-checked, a male passenger reportedly called in a false bomb threat against the aircraft. The individual allegedly placed the call while still on the plane, presumably in an attempt to delay the flight or force a reorganization of the cabin. Airport security and local law enforcement responded immediately, deplaning all passengers and conducting a full sweep of the aircraft and luggage. No explosives were found, and the suspect was taken into custody on multiple felony charges.

As the latest lapse of funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues, various airports are again opening food pantries for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees who are going without pay again.

TSA screeners processed 64,229,116 passengers in February, a 2.6 percent increase over February 2025.

CATSA screeners cleared 4,279,195 passengers at the 17 largest airports in Canada last month, basically even with February 2025.

A Georgia woman has filed a federal lawsuit against the United States following a May 2024 incident at Atlanta (ATL) that she claims left her with permanent injuries. According to the complaint, Kerri Thomas arrived at the North Security checkpoint and repeatedly informed TSA screeners that she had an implanted spinal cord stimulator, providing her medical identification card and requesting a manual pat-down. Despite official TSA policy allowing passengers with internal medical devices to opt out of body scanners, officers allegedly told Thomas that she would not be allowed to board her flight unless she entered the Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) machine. One screener reportedly claimed the scanner had been "recalibrated" to be safe for her device; however, once the machine was activated, Thomas felt an immediate electrical shock that she alleges destroyed the implant, resulting in severe pain and the need for corrective surgery to remove the damaged hardware.

The lawsuit, Thomas v. United States of America, was filed on February 18, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Thomas is seeking damages under the Federal Tort Claims Act for medical expenses, physical pain, mental anguish, and loss of earnings.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported a steady start to 2026, with global passenger demand in January rising 3.8 percent compared to the previous year. While this growth appears slightly slower than recent trends, it was primarily influenced by the timing of the Lunar New Year shifting into February. Despite this calendar effect, international demand remained a strong driver with a 5.9 percent increase, and global load factors reached a record January high of 82.0 percent. As the industry navigates persistent supply chain constraints and rising infrastructure costs, IATA remains optimistic, projecting that total global passenger numbers will reach 5.2 billion by the end of the year.

All Etihad Airways’ (EY) scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi (AUH) remain suspended until at least tomorrow morning. All Emirates (EK) scheduled commercial flights to and from Dubai (DXB) remain suspended until at least Sunday morning. Similarly, all Qatar Airways (QR) scheduled commercial flights to and from Doha (DOH) remain suspended until at least tomorrow morning.

As jet fuel prices surge due to escalating conflicts in the Middle East, a recent Citi analysis identifies American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Allegiant (G4), and Frontier Airlines (F9) as the carriers most vulnerable to these cost spikes. The report highlights that jet fuel has recently outperformed crude oil in price increases, creating a significant "fuel shock" for the industry. While strong travel demand can partially mitigate these costs, airlines with thinner profit margins and higher fuel expenses relative to their total revenue face the greatest financial risk. In contrast, carriers with higher margins and lower relative fuel exposure, such as Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, are considered better positioned to withstand the current volatility.

An Iran Air (IR) Airbus A319-111 (EP-IEP) was destroyed at Bushehr, Iran (BUZ) on Tuesday as a result of U.S. and Israeli bombing.

Irish discounter Ryanair (FR) flew 13.3 million passengers in February, a rise of six percent compared to the second month of 2025. Ryanair filled 92 percent of its available revenue seats during the month.

Let’s take a look at Aer Lingus’ (EI) weakest performing U.S. stations from Dublin (DUB). These numbers include December 2024 and 2025 through November. Of course, load factors do not tell the entire story on a route, we have no idea on yield or even any cargo that may be loaded.

It seems the era of the "Southwest Miracle" is coming to an abrupt, unceremonious end. Reports indicate a dramatic plunge in wheelchair assistance requests ever since Southwest Airlines (WN) ditched its iconic open-seating free-for-all in favor of assigned seats. Apparently, the sudden ability to reserve a specific spot has cured more ailments than a dip in the Ganges, leaving the performance of actual miracles to higher powers. Now that there’s no longer a tactical advantage to being the first one down the jet bridge, it turns out thousands of passengers have rediscovered the gift of working legs. EDITOR’S NOTE: The most I’ve personally seen was about 65 wheelchair passengers on a flight from San Salvador (SAL).

Avianca (AV), which flew 4.9 million passengers to and from the U.S. in 2025, operates over 625 weekly flights to 14 U.S. cities.

China Southern has finally found a taker for its troublesome subfleet of 10 Boeing 787-8s, concluding a nearly two-year "all or nothing" auction saga. On February 27, 2026, lessor Avolon signed a Master Sale and Purchase Agreement for the entire package (including two spare GEnx-1B engines) at an estimated market value of $532 million. The 12-year-old mid-sized 787s, which China Southern struggled to utilize efficiently due to weight restrictions and high per-seat costs, are now expected to be placed with Thai Airways (TG). The Star Alliance carrier is reportedly moving to lease the 10 frames to rapidly plug capacity gaps caused by ongoing widebody delivery delays.

Passenger traffic totals for 60 airports across Mexico for January 2026 are as follows below. Monday’s issue will feature Spanish airports.

Global air cargo markets saw a robust start to 2026, with total demand increasing by 5.6 percent in January compared to the previous year. While international operations grew by 7.2 percent, the regional performance remained polarized; carriers in Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Europe outpaced the global average, while those in the Americas experienced contractions. Despite a strengthening global manufacturing sentiment and lower jet fuel prices, IATA officials noted that the industry’s resilience will be tested by evolving trade policies and geopolitical hostilities in the Middle East. Moving forward, the upcoming World Cargo Symposium in Lima, Peru (LIM) will focus on enhancing air cargo's adaptability through digitalization to navigate these ongoing supply chain uncertainties.