A federal watchdog warned on Friday that the 'Federal Aviation Administration,' which oversees United Airlines' maintenance practices, is hindered due to low staffing, ineffective training of its workforce, and obstacles to accessing data from air carriers. United Airlines' FAA supervision will be audited by the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Transportation Department in early 2024, after the FAA increased its oversight of United following a number of safety incidents. OIG stated Friday that the FAA’s oversight is "insufficient" to monitor safety risks. The agency has also conducted virtual inspections, as opposed to postponing them, because of a shortage...

The head of Airbus expressed his hope that Europe can continue to develop a 'new fighter jet. But he added that the company is ready for all scenarios, including two separate French-led and German-led programs to replace FCAS. Guillaume Faury, the CEO of BFM TV in France, said that dividing the project into two aircraft was one option. However he raised questions about the extent of cooperation with broader systems. The Future Combat Air System is a 100 billion-euro ($118-billion) effort to create a fighter plane supported by armed robots and secure connections. The Future Combat Air?System is threatened by...

The Russian emergency ministry reported that seven bodies were 'found' in Lake Baikal, a frozen lake in southeastern Siberia. A tour bus with eight Chinese tourists was thrown into the water after the ice cracked as they crossed it on Friday. Igor Kobzev, the regional governor of Irkutsk, said on Telegram that one of the Chinese tourists had escaped. The prosecutors' office in the region also confirmed the opening a criminal investigation. Rescuers used an underwater camera to inspect the scene, and diving operations are planned. In a?statement, it said: "The depth of the accident site is 18 metres (59...

The bipartisan group of U.S. House members proposed legislation on Thursday to address 50 aviation safety recommendations that were issued following a yearlong investigation into the January 2025 collision between a regional jet operated by American Airlines and an Army Black Hawk helicopter, which killed 67 people. The chairmen of the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Armed Services Committees and top Democrats of the panel said that the bill aims at addressing a number of issues, including deficiencies in FAA safety culture, enhancing training and procedures for air traffic control, and strengthening the safety of airspace surrounding?Reagan Washington National Airport,...

The head of a trade group that represents major?U.S. The head of the trade group representing major?U.S. Airlines for America CEO Chris Sununu said at an aviation conference that capping credit card interest rates at 10%, or reducing the small 2% charge they receive on credit cards would have a huge economic impact across the industry. Trump called on January 10, for a cap of 10% on credit card rates to be in place starting January 20. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic senator from Massachusetts, praised Trump's request and promised to work with him. This month, unions, civil right groups, labor...

Documents show that Brazil's Ports and Airports minister Silvio Costa Filho asked the Finance Ministry to relax conditions on loans for airlines backed by the National Civil Aviation Fund. The fund is a public one which will reportedly dispense 4 billion reais (764,76 million dollars) in 2026. Costa Filho, in a letter to Fernando Haddad last week, wrote: "It is necessary to modify the resolution so that FNAC's credit becomes more attractive." Documents attached to a February 13th letter were seen by. The proposed changes included expanding the ways in which airlines can access FNAC. This would include services like...

United Airlines has redesigned its frequent-flyer loyalty program to reward those who carry a United-branded card and reduce the mileage earned by members who don't. The airline stated that the changes were designed to increase adoption and usage of their card products. Loyalty programs are now major profit generators for the airline industry. Carriers earn billions of dollars each year from selling frequent-flyer mile to banks tied to their credit card portfolios. United Airlines said that primary MileagePlus cardholders of the airline will be able to earn up to two times as many miles per dollar spent on United flights,...

Harry Reid International is still buzzing on Fridays. There are rolling suitcases, crowded rideshare lines, and the usual churn. On Monday, the airport had quieted down considerably. James Chrisley is the director of Clark County Aviation Department. "Our peaks remain peaks and our valleys have softer edges," he said. Hotel prices, flight schedules, and paychecks are all showing signs of softening. This is in line with the findings from the Federal Reserve survey, as well as recent airline earnings calls: higher-income travelers continue to?book, while households that feel the pinch, pull back. Economists warn that if the market-linked, affluent spending...

Air France-KLM announced on Thursday that it had achieved a record operating profit in 2025. This sent its shares up by 6.8%, as the company's strategy to offer a premium experience to customers was successful despite continuing cost challenges. The demand for premium services has increased among European airlines, despite the fact that the number of Europeans who travelled to the United States dropped last year. Air France-KLM reported that growth was particularly strong on transatlantic routes. This is especially true for premium cabins, after the group made significant investments in upgraded airport lounges, faster Wi-Fi and a revamped First...

The French Tourism Ministry announced on Thursday that despite the growing hostility between the U.S. government of Donald Trump and the French government, Americans will flock to France 'in 2025. U.S. visitors are expected to increase by 17% over the previous year. The increase in U.S. visitors is also noteworthy, as it occurred despite the weaker dollar. In 2025, the greenback will fall by more than 10% against euro after years of an extremely favorable exchange rate for Americans traveling to the eurozone. In 2025, more than 5 million Americans visited France, part of a record-breaking 102 million tourists, according...

Airbus will'support' a two fighter solution for Europe’s faltering FCAS?fighter program if the governments ask, said Chief Executive Guillaume Faury on Thursday. The comments made during a presentation of results follow a dispute that erupted between Airbus (which represents Germany and Spain) and French partner, Dassault Aviation, over the leadership of a core warplane component of a planned system for fighters and drones. Rivalries have arisen over the extent to which Dassault should be in control of the core fighter component or pillar. This has led to speculation that the project may be divided into two parts. Faury, an analyst,...

Air France-KLM reported stronger-than-expected full-year results ?and a record operating profit ?on Thursday, as ?its strategy ?of offering a premium customer experience bore fruit despite ongoing cost challenges. The demand for premium services has increased at European airlines, despite the fact that the number of Europeans who travelled to the United States dropped last year. The outlook for 2026 has been relatively modest, as there are many economic concerns. Ben Smith, Chief Executive of our airlines, said that they had carried more than 100 million passengers and achieved an operating result in excess of 2 billion Euros - the first...