Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

The Royal Navy’s autonomous helicopter project has approached a new milestone as the ‘Proteus’ technology demonstrator completed its ground testing phase ahead of future flight tests. Produced by Leonardo Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil, Proteus is the Royal Navy’s first full-sized remotely piloted helicopter, designed to test the concept of unmanned helicopters in Royal Navy service. It will help to develop concepts of operation for the use of rotary winged unmanned air systems (RWUAS) and their employment alongside manned systems in the broader Royal Navy as a part of the organisation’s transformation to become “uncrewed wherever possible, crewed only…

Air France has just introduced a new monetization scheme for its front row business class seats, and I suspect many flyers won’t be too happy about this…Air France brands front row seating as business suiteAir France offers an excellent long haul business class product, though the best business class seats in the fleet are the front row seats on select Airbus A350-900s and Boeing 777-300ERs. While there’s no differentiation in terms of soft product, I’d consider these to be “business class plus” seats in terms of the amount of space they offer. That’s because they have absolutely massive ottomans, taking…

American Airlines has made a major upgrade to its business class soft product. As reported by View From The Wing, the carrier has announced that it will soon be rolling out mattress pads on all long-haul flights. The airline already offers mattress pads on select long-distance flights, and it’s now rolling them out across its entire intercontinental network. This comes as the carrier continues to make a push to become more premium. Related comments from American Airlines leadership at the opening panel at Skift’s aviation forum indicate that company leadership is focused on moving upmarket and is highly confident in…

New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has concluded that an uncommanded engine shutdown suffered by an Air New Zealand A320neo last year was caused by a damaged component in the engine fire control panel. TAIC’s interim report on the incident details a component defect within an overhead fire panel that inadvertently triggered an in-flight engine shutdown. The incident precipitated an order to inspect the global A320 fleet and replace any affected components within the next two years. Air New Zealand A320neo Engine Shutdown Credit: Shutterstock On December 1, 2024, an Air New Zealand Airbus A320neo was performing a passenger flight…

December 4, 2025, © Leeham News: In our series about alternative propulsion aircraft, last week we looked at the aircraft batteries. These are heavy components with very low energy capacity per unit weight.To illustrate the kind of aircraft-level challenges the batteries pose, we are using our Aircraft Performance and Cost Model (APCM) to design a typical alternative-propulsion battery-electric aircraft and then fly it on typical missions.The aircraft is similar in size to a 9-seat Tecnam P2012 commuter (Figure 1) but optimised for Battery-Electric propulsion.Figure 1. The TECNAM P2021 nine-seater commuter. Source: Tecnam.The APCM will give us the airframe-level energy consumption for each…

Delta Air Lines uses the Airbus A350 on routes with high passenger numbers, particularly those with premium rates, because the aircraft provides a better onboard experience. The 777 and 747, which served as Delta’s flagship aircraft for premium domestic and international flight services, have been replaced by the A350. The A350 is the most contemporary and fuel-efficient widebody aircraft in Delta’s fleet. The A350’s efficiency and range allow it to be deployed effectively on multiple missions, from international ultra-long-haul routes to high-demand local routes, optimizing aircraft use under different market conditions. Today, the A350 has become the crowning platform of…

Since receiving its first Boeing 737 MAX 8 in 2017, American Airlines has steadily expanded its narrowbody fleet. According to the latest projections, American Airlines’ 737 MAX 8 fleet is reportedly expected to reach 88 aircraft by the end of the year, with three more deliveries scheduled for 2025. Just a few days ago, the airline welcomed its newest 737 MAX 8 (registration N316UV), bringing the total number of this aircraft in its fleet to 85, according to Planespotters.net data. This figure represents all 737 MAX 8s delivered to the airline since its first arrival in September 2017. 88 This…

The longest government shutdown in the history of the United States took an especially heavy toll on the airline industry. Delta Air Lines recently announced that it expects to take a $200 million pre-tax loss as a result of the 43 days that the federal government was closed over political disputes in Congress, according to The Financial Times. The shortage of air traffic controllers across the nation due to withheld pay forced a reduction in service capacity, especially at major hubs. Although the network was returned to near normal capacity before the Thanksgiving holiday travel rush, the impact is still…

FedEx has begun using blended sustainable aviation fuel at Chicago O’Hare and Miami airports, expanding its alternative fuel footprint as demand for lower-emission operations accelerates across the air cargo sector. At Chicago O’Hare (ORD), aviation fuel producer Air bp has sold a fuel blend containing one million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to FedEx, […] source

As Boeing Co. lurched from one crisis to the next last year, its European rival quietly went about churning out aircraft, with Airbus SE Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Faury routinely reminding his staff to remain humble. Faury was well aware of how quickly the tables can turn in an industry that only knows two main […] source