Billionaires Feud Over Airline Pilot Hiring

Elon Musk and Mark Cuban took to Twitter/X to debate the ethicality of some airline hiring policies, specifically around DE&I practices.

Ryan Ewing

Sunday, January 14, 2024 at 10:25 AM ET

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Edited By:

John McDermott

A United 787-9 Dreamliner. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Airline hiring policies were thrust into the limelight earlier this week as billionaires Elon Musk and Mark Cuban debated their ethicality over Twitter/X. Specifically discussing so-called ‘DEI’ – or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion – policies, the exchange began with Musk opining about these policies.

“DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it,” he said in a January 3 Tweet. Cuban responded with a long-winded post in support of these policies.

In a Tweet, Cuban responded to Musk, saying, “Having a workforce that is diverse and representative of your stakeholders is good for business.”

The two – along with other platform users – continued their DEI spat over several days. Musk even went as far as suggesting that these policies contributed to recent production issues at Boeing.

Airlines Take Center Stage

On January 7, one Twitter/X user seemingly mocked Cuban’s beliefs, sharing a 2021 Daily Wire article titled ‘United Airlines Says It Wants 50% Of Pilots Trained In Next Decade To Be Women Or People Of Color.’

Musk responded to this post adding, “The airline industry can’t find enough qualified pilots even without insane DEI requirements!”

Major U.S. airlines hired just over 12,000 new pilots last year, a six percent decrease from 2022. United – which operates the Aviate Academy that was the target of the feud – hired over 2,300 pilots in 2023. The airline’s academy trains approximately 500 students per year. In an April 2021 press release, the airline set a target of 5,000 new pilots by 2030 with ‘at least 50% women or people of color.’

“Over the next decade, United will train 5,000 pilots who will be guaranteed a job with United, after they complete the requirements of the Aviate program – and our plan is for half of them to be women and people of color,” said United CEO Scott Kirby in the 2021 press release. “We’re excited that JPMorgan Chase has agreed to support our work to diversify our pilot ranks and create new opportunities for thousands of women and people of color who want to pursue a career in aviation.”

Cuban took to Twitter/X again to refute Musk’s claim saying, “This is a training school. Once they graduate, it’s a multi year process to have an OPPORTUNITY to pilot for United.”

“Since I’m a nice guy and want you to be fully informed, I’ll share with you the benefit of the 60 seconds I spent looking for how the program works. BTW, looks like multiple layers of merit based evaluations before they can fly for United…,” Cuban continued in a Tweet.

This is a training school. Once they graduate, it’s a multi year process to have an OPPORTUNITY to pilot for United

Since I’m a nice guy and want you to be fully informed, I’ll share with you the benefit of the 60 seconds I spent looking for how the program works. BTW, looks… https://t.co/LRvbHrQ2eC

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) January 8, 2024

In June 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively struck down the use of affirmative action policies at colleges and universities.

Over 96% of U.S.-based pilots are male, while 85% are White, according to career data site Zippia.

Ryan Ewing

Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com in February 2013 and has spent more than a decade covering the airline business. His work has been featured by CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. His aviation experience spans airport operations, Part 135 regulatory compliance, and airline crew workforce planning, along with time behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 and interviews with airline executives. Ryan now serves as Group President of Firecrown Media’s Aviation Group. He holds a B.S. in Air Transportation Management and an MBA from Arizona State University and teaches Airline Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Photos: JAL Retires Last 777-200ER

Japan Airlines (JAL) retired its final remaining 777-200ER aircraft from scheduled service in December. JAL was one of the early adopters of Boeing’s 777.

Ryan Ewing

Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 07:00 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Japan Airlines (JAL) retired its final remaining Boeing 777-200ER aircraft from scheduled service in December. As one of the early adopters of Boeing’s 777, JAL has used the aircraft type for both short and long-haul operations.

The airline has phased out its 777-200ER fleet in recent years, as newer Airbus A350-900 aircraft come online to backfill the carrier’s high-capacity domestic operations. Back in May, the airline retired its second-to-last 777-200ER aircraft JA701J, according to AeroTime.

Data from ch-aviation shows that JAL began operating the 777-200ER variant in 2002 before phasing them out in 2020. Before retirement, the Japanese carrier had 26 777-200 aircraft in its fleet, most of which were over 20 years old.

JAL also maintains a fleet of 13 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which serve long-haul markets. These are also set to be replaced by the airline’s new ‘flagship’ A350-1000.

Final 777-200ER Retirement

The airline kept one 777-200ER flying, which is registered as JA703J. The nearly 21-year-old aircraft operated its final revenue flight in November from Okinawa, Japan to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport as JL916.

On December 12, 2023, the airline ferried JA703J from its Haneda base to Los Angeles. Joined by specially selected aviation enthusiasts onboard, the aircraft was met with fanfare on both ends of the retirement trip. Later, the aircraft was ferried to a storage facility in Victorville, Calif.

JAL 777 First Officer Yugo Aita – who organized the charter flight from Haneda to LAX on Dec. 12 – commented on the aircraft’s significance to his career. “…I was really happy to fly on our main fleet, [The] 777, which is the biggest and the most powerful airplane in JAL, [it] took me to my first international long-haul flight…”

“Seeing JA703J / 777-200ER last landing in VCV, I felt a bit sad since she’ll never fly again with JAL’s passengers, however, I also felt relieved that we could say thank you to her at the very last moment with so many crew and fans,” Aita added.

AirlineGeeks was invited to participate in the retirement events in California. Also a part of the experience was a visit to Mojave where JAL has several of its jets in storage.

Editor’s Note: All photos provided by AirlineGeeks’ Katie Zera.

Ryan Ewing

Delta Reports Record Revenue for 2023

Delta Air Lines announced final quarter and full-year earnings for 2023 highlighted by a record $54.7 billion in revenue.

John Flett

Friday, January 12, 2024 at 04:41 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A Delta Airlines Airbus A320 in Boston. (Photo: AirliineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Delta Air Lines announced final quarter and full-year earnings for 2023 highlighted by a record $54.7 billion in revenue for the calendar year, a 20 percent increase over 2022. Delta’s chief executive officer Ed Bastian heralded the results stating: “2023 was a great year for Delta with industry-leading operational and financial performance. Our people and their commitment to deliver unmatched service excellence for our customers is at the foundation of Delta’s success.”

Delta’s GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) figures indicate a pre-tax income of $5.6 billion (2022: $1.9 billion) with a pre-tax margin of 9.7 percent (2022: 3.8 percent). This will benefit shareholders with an earnings per share of $7.17, up from $2.06 in 2022. Bastian also announced that Delta employees will be recognized for “their outstanding work with $1.4 billion in profit-sharing payments next month.”

Double-digit capacity growth was achieved in Q4 2023 in all three of Delta’s international regions with transatlantic (up 13 percent), pacific (44 percent), and Latin America (28 percent). Revenue growth was also in the double digits for all three regions: transatlantic (up 23 percent), pacific (45 percent), and Latin America (18 percent).

“With industry-leading operational performance and best-in-class service delivered by our people, more customers than ever are choosing Delta,” said Glen Hauenstein, Delta’s president. This translated to record margins for the airline’s international operations in the final quarter of 2023, a seven percent increase in domestic revenues, and a 12 percent increase in domestic capacity over the final quarter of 2022.

From a cost perspective, Delta benefitted from a lower fuel expense in 2023, down 4 percent over 2022, though salaries and related costs increased by 23 percent. This resulted in non-fuel cost per available seat miles (CASM) being 2.3 percent higher year-over-year but total CASM was slightly lower for 2023 than 2022.

Beyond the financial results, Delta highlighted many other achievements in the final quarter and full 2023 calendar year related to the airline’s network, people, customer experience, and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance).

New Aircraft

The airline took delivery of 43 aircraft during the year including 27 A321neo, nine A220-300, and seven A330-900, and exited its fuel-inefficient CRJ-200s. Delta’s operational performance was recognized with the carrier being named the ‘most on-time airline in North America’ by Cirium. In addition, the airline achieved a completion factor of 99.8 percent for the final three months of the year. Customers engaged with the ‘Fly Delta’ app at levels up 25 percent from 2022 resulting in over 1 billion annual visits.

Hauenstein indicated a positive start to 2024: “With strong demand for international travel and a positive inflection in the domestic environment, we expect March quarter adjusted revenue to be 3 to 6 percent higher than the prior year.” The airline’s fleet will also expand in the coming years with the announcement of an order of 20 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft to begin arriving in 2026.

John Flett

John has always had a passion for aviation and through a career with Air New Zealand has gained a strong understanding of aviation operations and the strategic nature of the industry. During his career with the airline, John held multiple leadership roles and was involved in projects such as the introduction of both the 777-200 and -300 type aircraft and the development of the IFE for the 777-300. He was also part of a small team who created and published the internal communications magazines for Air New Zealand’s pilots, cabin crew and ground staff balancing a mix of corporate and social content. John is educated to postgraduate level achieving a masters degree with Distinction in Airline and Airport Management. John has held the positions of course director of an undergraduate commercial pilot training programme at a leading London university. In addition he is contracted as an external instructor for IATA (International Air Transport Association) and has been a member of the Heathrow Community Fund’s ‘Communities for Tomorrow’ panel.

Livery of the Week: ANA’s “FLYING HONU” Airbus A380s

The small size of the airline's superjumbo fleet has not stopped ANA from decking each of them out in a colorful special livery.

Andrew Chen

Friday, January 12, 2024 at 12:29 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

All Nippon Airways' Airbus A380 fleet, known as "FLYING HONU" (Photo: All Nippon Airways)

Editor’s Note: AirlineGeeks is excited to launch our ‘Livery of the Week’ series. Every Friday, a team member will share an airline livery, which can be from the past, present, or even a special scheme. Some airline liveries are works of art. The complexity associated with painting around critical flight components and the added weight requires outside-the-box thinking from designers. The average airliner can cost upwards of $200,000 to repaint, creating a separate aircraft repainting industry as a result.

Have an idea for a livery that we should highlight? Drop us a line.

Among the operators of the world’s largest airliner – the Airbus A380 – All Nippon Airways (ANA) has the fewest of the type. While the Japanese airline only operates three of these aircraft, the small size of its A380 fleet has not stopped ANA from decking each of them out in a special livery.

Hawaii-Inspired Sea Turtle Designs

ANA refers to its Airbus A380-800s as “FLYING HONU,” with honu being the Hawaiian word for the green sea turtle. In Hawaiian culture, the sea turtle is thought to be a symbol of good luck, prosperity and longevity. The Hawaiian theming was chosen since the airline exclusively flies these superjumbos between Tokyo Narita International Airport and Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.

Each of ANA’s A380s is painted in a colorful turtle livery. The front of each aircraft depicts a large smiling turtle, and two smaller turtles are shown swimming further back on the fuselage. Meanwhile, the tail of the aircraft has the airline’s distinctive “ANA” lettering in blue on a white background, in contrast to the carrier’s standard livery, which features white lettering on a blue tail.

ANA’s orange A380 with its blue counterpart in the background (Photo: All Nippon Airways)

The Tokyo-based carrier’s FLYING HONU A380s are each themed with a different color: blue to represent Hawaii’s blue skies, green for the crystal-clear Pacific Ocean water around the state, and orange for the island sunsets.

When the airline received its second A380, its Executive Vice President, Yutaka Ito, described the paint job as a “visually distinct livery that evokes the folklore and traditions of Hawaii.” As ANA prepared to receive the final airframe, his colleague, ANA Senior Vice President Seiichi Takahashi, stated that, “combined with design cues from Hawaiian culture, the unparalleled comfort and capacity of the FLYING HONUs will allow ANA to provide unrivaled service and efficiency on this increasingly prominent route.”

ANA’s second Airbus A380, with a green turtle livery inspired by the crystal-clear water of the ocean surrounding Hawaii (Photo: All Nippon Airways)

The FLYING HONU Experience

ANA received the first of its three A380s in March of 2019 with the intention of operating them exclusively between Tokyo and Honolulu. Although the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the full rollout of the airline’s A380 fleet, these plans were eventually put into practice, and the airline currently uses its A380s on its two daily roundtrips between Tokyo Narita and Honolulu.

During the pandemic, ANA kept its A380s busy. In addition to operating training and maintenance flights, the airline used them for sightseeing flights, in-cabin dining events, and even wedding ceremonies. ANA resumed scheduled A380 passenger operations in July 2022 and put its third A380 into service in October of 2023 – more than three years later than initially scheduled.

On board the FLYING HONU A380s, passengers are treated to special themed service items. Business Class passengers receive amenity kits with a FLYING HONU design and Premium Economy passengers get reusable bags bearing an image of the aircraft. Aircraft models and turtle plush toys are available for purchase. In true Japanese fashion, ANA also has mascots for each of the flying turtle superjumbos.

One of ANA’s FLYING HONU A380 mascots attends a wedding ceremony with its aircraft (Photo: All Nippon Airways)

The airline’s A380s have a total of 520 seats in a four-class configuration, with 8 First Class, 56 Business Class, 73 Premium Economy and 383 Economy Class seats. The aircraft’s capacity supports the high-demand market between Japan and Hawaii. ANA also operates a daily Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner service between Tokyo Haneda and Honolulu.

Looking for a new airplane model? Head over to our friends at the Midwest Model Store for a wide selection of airlines and liveries.

Andrew Chen

Andrew is a lifelong lover of aviation and travel. He has flown all over the world and is fascinated by the workings of the air travel industry. As a private pilot and glider pilot who has worked with airlines, airports and other industry stakeholders, he is always excited to share his passion for aviation with others. In addition to being a writer, he also hosts Flying Smarter, an educational travel podcast that explores the complex world of air travel to help listeners become better-informed and savvier travelers.

Delta Orders Airbus A350-1000 Jets

Delta has ordered 20 of Airbus' A350-1000 aircraft, the largest variant in the A350 family, with deliveries slated to start in 2026.

Ryan Ewing

Friday, January 12, 2024 at 09:49 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A rendering of Delta's A350-1000 (Photo: Delta)

Delta has ordered 20 of Airbus’ A350-1000 aircraft, the largest variant in the A350 family. The Atlanta-based carrier also has options for 20 additional widebody aircraft.

The new aircraft will join Delta’s current fleet of 28 A350-900s. With deliveries slated to start in 2026, the A350-1000 will be a new type in the airline’s fleet.

“The A350-1000 will be the largest, most capable aircraft in Delta’s fleet and is an important step forward for our international expansion,” said Delta’s Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian in a press release.

According to Delta, the larger aircraft will see roughly 15% more premium seats than other retiring aircraft. In addition, the airline’s A350-1000 will be powered by Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB-97 engines, a more powerful version of the engine that operates on the A350-900.

“The aircraft complements our fleet and offers an elevated customer experience, with more premium seats and best-in-class amenities, as well as expanded cargo capabilities,” Bastian added.

The A350-1000 has a range of 8,700 nautical miles, roughly 600 more nautical miles than its smaller -900 counterpart. The airline says it plans to use the new aircraft type “in long-haul markets and international hubs in support of Delta’s international expansion, replacing retiring planes and fueling growth.”

Ryan Ewing

Vistara Adds Mumbai to Paris Flights

Vistara will launch its third international destination from Mumbai in March. The new flight to Paris will complement the carrier's existing European services.

Hemal Gosai

Friday, January 12, 2024 at 09:26 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A Vistara 787-9 (Photo: Shutterstock)

Vistara is marking its ninth year of operations in India. In its nine years of existence, it has grown significantly. The airline was initially just a small carrier within India that formed a joint venture between Tata and Singapore Airlines. For a while, it was currently the only other full-service carrier in India besides Air India.

Today, the airline has a fleet of 67 aircraft and a growing its international presence. The carrier will also be folded into the other Tata-run airline, Air India, sometime in 2024 as the Tata Group seeks to streamline operations of the airlines that it runs in the country.

While the merger is almost a done deal with regulatory approval expected later this year, Vistara continued on its path towards growth, announcing a new Mumbai to Paris flight that will operate five times a week.

Service will begin on March 28 and will seek to complement Vistara’s other route to Paris from New Delhi which it has been operating since 2021. This new flight to Paris will be the airline’s third long-haul destination from Mumbai, as it also operates flights to London and Frankfurt.

The flight will be operated using one of Vistara’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft in a three-class configuration, including business, premium economy, and economy.

Flights will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from Mumbai departing at 2:05 p.m. from Mumbai and arriving in Paris at 8:10 p.m. on the same day.

The reverse will operate on the same days departing Paris at 10:10 p.m. and arriving in Mumbai the next morning at 10:35 a.m.

Merger with Air India

Vistara has shown steady growth over its nine years in existence. There are still future growth plans ahead as it waits for the final Dreamliner to be delivered by April 2024.

It’s also expected that the airline will start operating a Pune to Dubai flight to capitalize on growing demand between the two cities. This would be the second international destination on Vistara out of Pune with the other being Singapore.

As this growth happens the airline is also preparing for its merger with Air India. The merger still has to undergo regulatory approval, but the government is expected to grant the approval for the airlines to merge. As with all airline mergers, it will take time. While regulatory approval will happen later this year the actual operational merger could stretch into 2025.

Hemal Gosai

Hemal took his first flight at four years old and has been an avgeek since then. When he isn't working as an analyst he's frequently found outside watching planes fly overhead or flying in them. His favorite plane is the 747-8i which Lufthansa thankfully flies to EWR allowing for some great spotting. He firmly believes that the best way to fly between JFK and BOS is via DFW and is always willing to go for that extra elite qualifying mile. Hemal's opinions are his own and do not reflect those of his employer.

FAA Scolds Boeing Over Door Plug Decompression Incident

The investigation is a result of an incident on January 5 when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 (737-9) lost a door plug in mid-flight.

AirlineGeeks.com Staff

Thursday, January 11, 2024 at 04:47 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

The FAA is investigating an incident in which an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 lost a door plug in flight. (Photo: NTSB)

“This incident should have never happened, and it cannot happen again.”

Those words come from a statement from the FAA, which announced Thursday that it has formally notified Boeing that it is conducting “an investigation to determine if [the company] failed to ensure completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in compliance with FAA regulations.”

The investigation is a result of an incident on January 5 when an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 (737-9) lost a door plug in mid-flight, resulting in a rapid decompression of the aircraft and an emergency landing.

The airline immediately grounded its fleet of 737 Max 9s. Within hours the FAA grounded the model countrywide. This has resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations and delays for United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, which utilize the design.

The FAA stated that the aircraft will not return to the skies until they have been inspected and found to be safe, noting “the safety of the flying public, not speed, will determine the timeline for returning the Boeing 737-9 Max to service.”The FAA added: “Boeing’s manufacturing practices need to comply with the high safety standards they’re legally accountable to meet.”

In a letter sent to Boeing on Wednesday, the agency said that it had received notification of “additional discrepancies on other Boeing 737-9 airplanes” and noted these circumstances “indicate that Boeing may have failed to ensure its completed products conformed to its approved design and were in a condition for safe operation in accordance with quality system inspection and test procedures.”

The letter noted Boeing has 10 business days to respond to the FAA.

Editor’s Note: This story first appeared on FlyingMag.com.

AirlineGeeks.com Staff

AirlineGeeks.com was founded in February 2013 as a one-person blog in Washington D.C. Since then, we’ve grown to have 25+ active team members scattered across the globe. We are all here for the same reason: we love deep-diving into the fascinating realm of the airline industry.

Boeing’s 2023 Orders and Deliveries

Both the narrowbody and widebody goals were met by the manufacturer but those were already revised since the start of the year.

Filip Kopeć

Thursday, January 11, 2024 at 04:14 PM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

A 777X test aircraft. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

As American aircraft manufacturer Boeing is battling yet another 737 MAX crisis, its annual update on the orders and deliveries is also concluded.

Deliveries On Point

The U.S. planemaker delivered 528 aircraft in 2023. This is an increase from the 480 units delivered in 2022 but a significant underperformance when compared to the prepandemic, pre-MAX-grounding high water mark of 806 units in 2018.

The number further splits into 396 narrowbody 737 jets and 73 787 Dreamliners. Both met their goals of 375 and 70-80 deliveries, respectively. At this point, it is worth mentioning that the narrowbody target was already downgraded in October after manufacturing flaws were detected and accredited to a fuselage supplier, Spirit AeroSystems. Additional inspections slowed the deliveries and caused the initial target of 400 to 450 units to be deemed unfeasible.

Southwest 737 MAX 8 aircraft (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)

Fourth Biggest Year on Orders

According to data provided by the manufacturer, 2023 was the fourth best year in Boeing’s history when it comes to net orders. The pandemic slowdown made the clients hesitant to put orders on the books, as airlines had plenty of unused capacity to put into schedules. Now that most carriers have reached and surpassed 2019 traffic records, getting more planes into the fleet has become a priority again.

2023 ended with Boeing netting 1314 orders after considering cancellations and conversions. This is the fourth-best result in Boeing’s history, worse only than 2007, 2013 and 2014 when accounting for the cancellations. It is a fair result given that, in 2007, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner prototype was rolled out, sparking a wave of 369 orders, which is a considerable number for a widebody aircraft.

This brought the total number of aircraft units ordered in 2007 to 1413. Orders increased in 2013 and 2014 after the manufacturer announced the new 737 line, the MAX, and clients rushed to secure a spot in line. With 708 and 891 MAX orders respectively, the final number of orders got to 1355 and 1432 in those years, so not that far above the 2023 result.

Given the very weak years of 2018 through 2021, when Boeing netted close to 0 new orders, 2023 could still be considered a release of the pent-up demand for the jets.

A Boeing 777F on test flights before delivery.
(Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Bailey)

The Competetive Comparison

Boeing’s main rival, European manufacturer Airbus, has also published its official 2023 numbers. It was already visible throughout 2023 that it would be a strong year for Airbus. With deliveries standing at 735 unit level and 2094 net new orders, the competitor has beaten its U.S. counterpart by 39% and 59% respectively, which is a symptomatic difference summarizing a story of the recent consecutive troubles Boeing had to battle with. This is the fifth year in a row that the European manufacturer is holding the prime spot when it comes to aircraft manufacturing.

Filip Kopeć

A passionate aviation enthusiast that started off his career as an aerospace engineer, but found his true calling on the commercial side of the airline business. Now as a finance guy among avgeeks and an avgeek among finance guys, he has experience working in the Revenue Divisions of three airlines. In his spare time he enjoys traveling, but admittedly sometimes is more about the journey than the destination.

Disruptions Continue as 737 MAX 9 Remains Grounded

Airlines continue to feel operational pains as Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 remains grounded following Friday’s door plug loss and explosive decompression incident.

Ryan Ewing

Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 11:31 AM ET

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Edited By:

John McDermott

A 737 MAX 9 in the Boeing livery landing at Paine Field. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Airlines continue to feel operational pains as Boeing’s 737 MAX 9 remains grounded following Friday’s door plug loss and explosive decompression incident. Even with Boeing admitting its mistake, there is still no clear timeline for the aircraft type to return to service.

In the U.S., United and Alaska are the largest operators of the type with 79 and 65 in service respectively, according to Cirium fleet data. Copa and Aeromexico also operate a substantial portion of the 215 737 MAX 9s in service worldwide.

Alaska

After Friday’s incident, Alaska proactively grounded its fleet of 737 MAX 9 aircraft pending maintenance inspections. On Saturday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive to ground the type at all operators.

According to Cirium Diio data, approximately 25% of Alaska’s planned schedule in January 2024 is set to be operated by the 737 MAX 9 variant. The carrier uses the jet in a variety of markets, including over-water operations to Hawaii.

As of Wednesday morning, Alaska has canceled 487 total flights since January 5, per FlightAware data. While not all cancellations are necessarily correlated to the 737 MAX 9 grounding, this figure represents almost 17% of Alaska’s planned flights.

“As these steps remain pending, we continue to experience disruption to our operation with these aircraft out of service,” the airline said as part of a statement.

United

While United is the largest operator of the 737 MAX 9 worldwide, the type makes up a smaller portion of the carrier’s larger fleet. In January 2024, the 737 MAX 9 is set to operate 10.5% of the carrier’s planned schedule.

Earlier this week, the airline said it found loose bolts in the door plugs of at least five 737 MAX 9 aircraft. Inspections are ongoing at the carrier.

In the same period, FlightAware’s data reports that United has canceled 650 total flights, representing just over 6% of its planned flights. However, weather has battered several of the carrier’s hubs in recent days. In a statement, the airline said it canceled 180 737 MAX 9 flights during the weekend.

Other Airlines

Both Copa Airlines and Aeromexico have canceled their 737 MAX 9 flights. In a statement earlier this week, Copa said, “The airline’s team is working to minimize the impact on our passengers, although some delays and cancellations are expected due to this situation beyond the airline’s control.”

Ryan Ewing

Airbus Beluga Transport Receives Air Operator’s Certificate

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has announced that Airbus Beluga Transport, its air cargo service, has received its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC).

John McDermott

Wednesday, January 10, 2024 at 07:37 AM ET

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Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Beluga #3 takes off from Novosibirsk Airport in Russia on its final destination to Kobe, Japan. (Photo: Airbus)

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has announced that Airbus Beluga Transport, its air cargo service, has received its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC), Airbus said in a statement. This effectively makes this cargo arm its own standalone airline.

Since Airbus Beluga Transport was founded a couple of years ago, its flights have been operated by Air Transport International, similarly to how Atlas Air operates the Boeing Dreamlifters. As the change in operators takes place, aircraft will transfer from Air Transport International’s fleet register to Airbus Beluga Transport’s. Legally, the aircraft are considered to be on lease from Airbus.

A Boeing Dreamlifter aircraft (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Katie Zera)

Airbus Beluga Transport started the process to receive its own certificate in June 2023. Its documentation was approved in September, and the operator subsequently had to receive a Continuous Airworthiness and Maintenance Organisation certificate.

This allows Airbus Beluga Transport to schedule and control continuing airworthiness activities on aircraft and their own parts; in other words, it allows Airbus Beluga Transport to do its own maintenance.

The operator will be headquartered close to the Blagnac airport, and its operating base will be at the Francazal near Toulouse. From there, the iconic Airbus Beluga aircraft will prepare for missions, including loading and unloading transport pallets. Aircraft maintenance will also occur at this base.

Pilot Hiring and Training

Airbus Beluga Transport is starting flights on the existing Airbus network. Company management says it wants to get its crews experienced with short-haul flights, to places such as Saint Nazaire, Hamburg, Bremen, and Sevilla, which are already relatively familiar and routine. The company will also test internal procedures and train new crewmembers.

“The ramp-up of both the operations and the crew training and also the ground support team training is a big challenge,” said Olivier Schneider, who will serve as head of flight operations for Airbus Beluga Transport. “We’re learning ‘on-the-fly’ since this type of operation is something brand new for many of the team.”

“Moreover, even if Beluga has been flying from time to time on external long-haul missions, it’s one thing to plan and undertake one long mission, but it’s quite different to perform several of them in the same week,” Schneider continued.

Airbus Beluga Transport will focus on flying Airbus parts around Europe. It hopes to get certified to carry a wider range of Airbus products, most notably helicopters and military aircraft. This will allow it to transport cargo for both Airbus and external customers that operate these types of aircraft.

For the moment, the operator is looking for pilots with experience on Airbus A300 and A310 jets to apply for positions with the company. Pilots will need specific training in Beluga operations due to the unique challenges of flying such a particular aircraft. Airbus Beluga Transport is looking to take to the skies this fall.

John McDermott

John McDermott is a commercial pilot pursuing a career in professional flight. His passion for aviation began in an Ann Arbor bookstore with a tale of enemy pilots during World War 2, and he hasn't looked back. Besides flying and writing for AirlineGeeks, John volunteers with Professional Pilots of Tomorrow and travels whenever he gets the chance.