🇭🇷 9A-ATR, an ATR 72-600, was delivered to Croatia Airlines (OU) on April 13.

🇩🇪 9A-MUC, an Airbus A319-112, was delivered to Condor (DE) on April 14.

🇨🇳 B-58307, an Airbus A330-941, was delivered to STARLUX Airlines (JX) on April 14.

🇨🇳 B-65AH, a COMAC C919-100STD, was delivered to China Eastern Airlines (MU) on April 15.

🇫🇷 F-HOZF, an Airbus A220-300, was delivered to Air France (AF) on April 14.

🇰🇷 HL8753, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to T'Way Air (TW) on April 14.

🇺🇸 N3298J, an Airbus A220-300, was delivered to JetBlue (B6) on April 15.

🇺🇸 N791CA, a Boeing 777-F, was delivered to National Airlines (N8) on April 15.

🇹🇷 TC-OHP, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to AJet (VF) on April 13.

🇮🇳 VT-NHW, an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to IndiGo (6E) on April 15.

🇲🇽 XA-TVH, an Airbus A320-271neo, was delivered to Volaris (Y4) on April 14.

🇲🇹 A pair of Avion Express Malta (X8) Airbus A320-232s were withdrawn from use (wfu) and ferried on April 13 to Marana, Ariz. (MZJ) where they were returned to their lessors.

American Airlines (AA) is officially deploying nearly 20 dormakaba Argus Air XS electronic boarding gates at Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) this summer, following a successful pilot program at Gate A13 late last year. The carrier will be the first major U.S. network airline to install these "e-gates" at scale at a major hub, with the initial rollout debuting in the new Terminal A and Terminal C pier expansions. The system allows passengers to scan their own boarding passes on American-branded touchscreens to gain access to the jet bridge, a move designed to regulate boarding pace, reduce jet bridge congestion, and free up gate agents for more complex customer service tasks. This implementation is part of a broader multi-year modernization of the Dallas/Fort Worth hub, which also includes a transition to a 13-bank flight schedule and the planned 2027 opening of Terminal F. EDITOR’S NOTE: dormakaba is a global security and access control company headquartered in Rümlang, Switzerland. Yes, I had to look that one up.

PAY YOUR BILLS: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that Spirit Airlines must remit Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security fees collected from passengers even if those passengers never travel, rejecting the airline’s attempt to retain fees tied to expired travel credits. The case stemmed from a federal audit that found Spirit had under-remitted roughly $2.8 million by keeping security fees when customers canceled tickets and allowed credits to expire. The court held that under federal law, all collected fees must either be remitted to TSA or refunded to the customer, and that expired travel credits do not qualify as refunds. It also found Spirit had adequate notice of these requirements through the statute and prior agency guidance, ultimately denying the airline’s petition and upholding TSA’s enforcement action.

South Korea’s low-cost carrier T’way Air has begun implementing voluntary unpaid leave for cabin crew for May and June as mounting financial pressure from surging jet fuel prices and a weakening Korean won continues to strain profitability. The move, the airline’s first such program since August 2024, comes just weeks after T’way entered emergency management and reflects a broader industry squeeze tied to Middle East-driven oil price volatility and dollar-denominated cost exposure. Alongside labor cost reductions, the carrier is also trimming capacity and suspending select routes, underscoring the depth of the current margin pressure facing Asia-Pacific low-cost operators.

American has also joined the trend of adding trading cards, with new cards featuring the Airbus A321neo along with Boeing 737-800s, 777-300/ERs, and 787-9s. Three additional historical cards featuring the Douglas DC-3, Boeing 707, and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 are also available in more limited quantities - but not as hard to find as a hyper rare Charizard Pokemon card.

Iran’s push to rapidly restore domestic flying comes after meaningful but not catastrophic damage to its commercial fleet, with available reporting indicating that roughly 60 passenger aircraft have been taken out of service due to recent strikes and conflict-related disruption. More granular loss data suggests more than a dozen Iranian-operated commercial aircraft were actually destroyed or heavily damaged, spanning multiple types including Airbus narrow-bodies, Boeing 737s and 747s, regional jets, and older Soviet-era aircraft. The larger impact, however, is operational rather than purely physical, with dozens of additional aircraft grounded for inspections, parts shortages, or precautionary reasons, highlighting the scale of disruption facing Iran’s domestic aviation network as it works to resume flights. As recently as January, 36 airports in Iran had commercial flights.

2025 TOP 10s: Next we review the global aviation landscape across four key performance metrics for all of 2025. The data covers total passenger throughput, international passenger volumes, total aircraft movements, and global cargo tonnage, with the Top 10 airports in each category shown.

In response to the volatile geopolitical situation and surging jet fuel costs, Qantas (QF) and Lufthansa (LH) have significantly adjusted their operations to mitigate financial and operational risks. Qantas has sharply increased its fuel cost forecast for the second half of fiscal 2026 to as much as A$3.3 billion, a substantial jump from previous estimates. To manage this, the airline is trimming its domestic capacity by roughly five percent through June while redeploying aircraft toward more lucrative long-haul routes like Paris deGaulle and Rome to capture resilient European travel demand. Meanwhile, the Lufthansa Group has implemented a sweeping suspension of services across the Gulf and Levant, with many routes to major hubs like Abu Dhabi (AUH), Riyadh (RUH), and Tehran (IKA) grounded until late October 2026. This follows the broader industry trend of aggressive capacity management; indeed, British Airways (BA) has already begun consolidating high-frequency short-haul services to combat rising oil prices and a looming jet fuel crisis in Europe, suggesting a coordinated pivot toward operational efficiency over network breadth.

Eindhoven, Netherlands (EIN) reported a record year in 2025, handling just under seven million passengers and generating its highest-ever financial results, with revenue rising to about €100.5 million and net profit reaching €25.2 million. Growth was driven by strong demand for European leisure travel and steady aeronautical and commercial revenues, including retail and parking. The airport is now moving ahead with a major terminal expansion to address capacity constraints, as current facilities were designed for only 5 million annual passengers, while a planned runway closure in early 2027 will temporarily disrupt operations as part of infrastructure upgrades.

AirBaltic (BT) enjoyed a four percent rise in March passenger footfall, with 393,400 passengers last month. This translated into a 76 percent system-wide load factor on 3,923 flights in March. For the first quarter of 2026, AirBaltic passenger counts are up five percent to 1,044,000, the busiest first quarter in the airline’s history. Over 10,500 flights were operated in the first quarter.

Boeing recorded a modest month of order activity in March 2026, with roughly 33 gross orders and 2 cancellations for about 31 net new aircraft, heavily concentrated in the 737 MAX family with limited widebody demand. On the delivery side, the manufacturer handed over 46 aircraft, consisting of 34 narrowbodies and 12 widebodies. Narrowbody output was almost entirely 737 MAX jets (33 units, plus one NG), while widebody deliveries included seven 787, three 777s, and two 767s. Overall, the data reflects continued reliance on the 737 program for both orders and deliveries, with steady but comparatively smaller contributions from Boeing’s widebody lines. For the first quarter of 2026, Boeing delivered 114 737s, six 767s, eight 777s, and 15 787s.

An Emirates (EK) flight attendant is currently being held at Dubai's Al Qusais Police Station following his arrest for sharing a photo of an Iranian drone strike in a private WhatsApp group. The 32-year-old crew member reportedly took the photo from his company-provided accommodation after an explosion shook the building, sending it to colleagues to ask if it was safe to report for duty. Dubai Police utilized sophisticated electronic monitoring to track the private message and subsequently "lured" the employee to the station for questioning. This incident occurs amid a broader crackdown under the United Arab Emirates’ strict 2021 cybercrime laws, which prohibit sharing any imagery that could damage the country's reputation or national security. This follows the recent detention and eventual release of a British flight attendant from flydubai (FZ) who was arrested under similar circumstances after a recent strike at Dubai (DXB).

Amazon has unveiled its new Amazon Leo Aviation Antenna, a low-profile, electronically steered system designed to leverage its low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite network for commercial aviation. The hardware features a slim 2.6-inch profile that minimizes drag and can be installed by airlines in as little as one day. Performance-wise, the system is engineered to deliver up to 1 Gbps download and 400 Mbps upload speeds directly to passenger seats, supporting high-bandwidth activities like 4K streaming and real-time gaming even over polar routes and oceans via laser inter-satellite links. Early industry adoption is already underway, with Delta Air Lines and JetBlue signing agreements to integrate the technology into their fleets.

Let’s take a look at March 2026’s most on-time airlines, with today’s issue featuring Asia/Pacific and European carriers. Monday’s edition will cover Africa/Middle East and Latin America.

I always find these purchases interesting, as they shed light on the various operations at airports. How much do self-service kiosks at an airport cost? Dallas/Fort Worth paid $139,191.49 to purchase eight common-use self-service kiosks to replace older units.

Separately, Dallas/Fort Worth also has a contract in place through June 2030 worth over $4.45 million to detect Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). One other nugget: the airport has approved $200,000 to purchase a new sculpture in Terminal C’s baggage claim area, as well as $2.6 million for a large-scale sculpture and centerpiece in the under-construction Terminal F atrium.

Let’s take a look at passenger totals at 18 airports across Finland in March 2026.

National Airlines (N8) has taken delivery of its first of four Boeing 777-200 freighters, marking a significant milestone in its fleet modernization strategy. The aircraft, registered as N791CA (MSN 70547), began test flights in Everett, Washington, in March and is expected to enter commercial service next Month. This introduction represents the airline's first venture into the 777F segment, complementing its existing fleet of nine Boeing 747-400 freighters and its Airbus A330 passenger operations. With a payload capacity of over 102 tonnes and a range exceeding 9,000 kilometers, the twin-engine 777F is designed to enhance operational efficiency and fuel economy across the carrier’s intercontinental cargo network. National Airlines noted that the new aircraft will better support evolving charter requirements in sectors such as e-commerce, automotive logistics, and humanitarian aid. The remaining three 777 freighters from the September 2024 order are scheduled to undergo their respective test flight programs and join the fleet in the coming months.

An unruly passenger incident unfolded aboard an American Airlines flight into Miami (MIA) on Sunday, when a dispute over personal space escalated into a physical altercation during final approach. According to reports, the confrontation began over an armrest encroachment, with one passenger claiming “she had her elbow in me the whole entire time,” before the situation turned into a cabin brawl as the aircraft was preparing to land. Flight attendants repeatedly ordered passengers to remain seated, warning the aircraft could be forced to go around, while other travelers intervened to separate those involved. Authorities were reportedly waiting upon arrival. If you are surprised this didn’t happen on a Spirit Airlines flight, you are not alone.

A serious incident occurred on April 13 aboard a Scoot flight from Singapore to Perth, Australia (PER). Authorities arrested 52-year-old Sudhir Kumar Chahuan upon arrival after he allegedly committed non-consensual sexual acts against a female passenger seated next to him. Following the victim’s report to cabin crew, the airline staff relocated her and monitored the suspect until Australian Federal Police met the aircraft at the gate. Chahuan appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on April 14 facing one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of indecency without consent, which could lead to a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison. He remains in custody pending a bail hearing scheduled for tomorrow. The Australian Federal Police reinforced their zero-tolerance policy regarding criminal behavior on aircraft, emphasizing the right of all passengers to a safe environment during transit.

A China Airlines (CI) Airbus A350-941 (registration B-18902, MSN 57) was grounded at Melbourne, Australia (MEL) on Tuesday after suffering significant damage during a ground incident. The aircraft reportedly rolled backwards while still connected to an aerobridge, causing the left forward passenger door to be partially ripped from its hinges and damaging the bridge structure itself. No passengers were on board at the time of the accident, and no injuries have been reported. As a result of the structural damage, the scheduled return flight CI58 to Taipei (TPE) was canceled, and the aircraft remains out of service pending engineering inspections and repairs.