Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

American Airlines operated its first Airbus A321XLR flight on December 18, 2025, thereby becoming the first US carrier to fly the new long-range aircraft.  The inaugural service departed New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) at 11:00 ET, carrying more than 150 passengers to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The A321XLR features American’s Flagship Suite, Premium Economy, and main cabin (Economy) seating configurations. Passengers on the maiden flight received commemorative gift bags to mark the occasion. In a special message to passengers, Heather Garboden, American’s chief customer officer, said: “From premium design details to Bluetooth connectivity to elevated entertainment,…

Qantas now has ten Airbus A380s, which is the most that it’ll return to service. It will not reintroduce the remaining two frames, as they’re partially scrapped. And all but one of the ten frames are currently active. Registered VH-OQC, the tenth aircraft was in storage in the hot and dry Abu Dhabi. It arrived back on Australian soil in early December and reentered commercial service on December 7, when it flew from Sydney to Los Angeles. Following damage to a section of the slat on the left wing, Quebec Charlie remains in California. Where Qantas’s A380s Fly Credit: Shutterstock In…

By Bjorn Fehrm and Henry Tam December 19, 2025, ©. Leeham News: We do a series about ideas on how the long development times for large airliners can be shortened. New projects talk about cutting development time and reaching certification and production faster than previous projects. The series will discuss the typical development cycles for an FAA Part 25 aircraft, called a transport category aircraft, and what different ideas there are to reduce the development times. We will use the Gantt plan in Figure 1 as a base for our discussions. We have concluded the articles about flight tests with…

René Armas Maes is an international consultant specializing in airline and business aviation restructuring, strategic planning, revenue optimization, and cost reduction.  René began his career as a Senior Analyst at Simat, Helliesen & Eichner in New York City, where he advised global airlines, airports, regional aviation operators, and business aviation clients. Today, he collaborates with airlines, business aviation operators, and airports worldwide, serving as an instructor for IATA and ACI in airline and airport management. He also holds an MBA from the John Molson School of Business in Montreal, Canada.  The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those…

Airbus describes the A380 as having the quietest cabin in the sky, calling it ‘whisper-quiet’. The four-engined long-haul favorite is popular with passengers and crew alike and is reported to be so quiet in the cabin that passengers don’t even realize that the aircraft has taken off. Why does the A380 have such a quiet cabin, and why are some people unhappy about it? Cabin noise varies by aircraft type, and newer widebody aircraft are often much quieter than older models, such as the Boeing 747. The Airbus A380 is well known for being quiet, whereas a regional turboprop like…

Pegasus Airlines has signed a deal with CFM International for up to 300 LEAP-1B engines, destined to power the airline’s future Boeing 737-10 fleet. The deal also includes the provision of spare engines and long-term maintenance services by the engine maker.  The relationship between the Turkish airline and CFM International has a long history. In fact, Pegasus Airlines became the first LEAP engine operator on August 2, 2016, when one of the carrier’s Airbus A320neos flew between Istanbul Sabiha-Gökcen (SAW) and Antalya (AYT) powered by CFM International’s LEAP-1A engines.  Pegasus Airlines fleet has also been using earlier CFM engine types, such as the CFM56-5B and CFM56-7B.   Güliz Öztürk, CEO of Pegasus Airlines, highlighted this long-ongoing relationship when announcing the LEAP deal:  “Since we launched operations in…

Frontier Airlines will discontinue its flights from Paine Field Airport (PAE) in Everett, Washington, in early January 2026, ending the service just seven months after it began. The carrier’s official website indicates that all flights from PAE will end on January 5, 2026. The news was first reported by HeraldNet. Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines is expanding its presence at Paine Field by adding a new nonstop route to Portland International Airport (PDX). The additional route is part of Alaska Airlines’ broader network expansion at its hubs in PDX and Anchorage (ANC). Paine Field To Lose Frontier Airlines Credit: Denver International Airport In…

US cargo carrier Fedex Express has been forced into making massive operational changes since the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 2976 in early November, which precipitated the indefinite grounding of the global McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet. As the world’s largest MD-11 operator, FedEx has been feeling the strain of the grounding order, which was issued in the lead-up to one of the busiest shipping periods of the year. The airline’s pilots are also suffering from the sudden operational disruption, with FedEx reportedly unable to book hotels for many of its pilots. FedEx Struggles To Find Enough Hotels For Pilots Credit: Shutterstock…

Atlantic City International Airport, which is located in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, added a second scheduled airline last week. The airport sits northwest of central Atlantic City and has traditionally had limited commercial air service. It was originally established in 1942 as a Naval Air Station and transitioned into civilian use decades later. American International Airways, which ceased operations in 1999, was among the first to commence passenger flights. It briefly attempted to establish a hub at Atlantic City using Douglas DC-9 aircraft and served cities such as Boston, Chicago, Miami, and Orlando. That operation was short-lived, and the…

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited has become the first cargo terminal operator in Hong Kong to secure ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification for its COSAC-Plus cargo management system and supporting information technology environment. The certification covers IT infrastructure, daily operations, system development processes and cybersecurity controls used by Hactl, according to a release today. ISO/IEC 27001 […] source