Flightline 59 - January 8, 2026

Here are the final October 2025 passenger traffic counts for 408 airports in the U.S. and around the world. Now in the past I’ve just added a graphic here, but that isn’t really the best option to see this. If you click this link, the full size chart will show up on your screen and you won’t have to squint! Of if you prefer a massive image, click here to see the same data.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing a revision to the investigatory and enforcement policies of its Office of Aviation Consumer Protection (OACP) to prioritize voluntary compliance over punitive sanctions. Under this updated guidance, which aligns with recent executive orders, the OACP will focus on proactive measures such as warning letters and working directly with airlines to resolve issues before pursuing formal enforcement. This approach ensures that actions are grounded in clear statutory authority and factual evidence while maintaining due process for all regulated entities.

When formal enforcement is necessary, such as for systemic or egregious violations, the OACP will calculate civil penalties based on the harm caused, the entity’s history of non-compliance, and their ability to pay. To encourage transparency, the maximum penalty for general violations is set at $75,000 per violation for 2026. Regulated entities that voluntarily self-disclose violations may also receive reduced penalties or avoid enforcement action entirely if they have successfully made impacted consumers whole.

🇨🇦 CATSA screeners at the 17 largest airports in Canada screened 5,506,246 passengers in December, a slight one percent increase over December 2024. Passenger traffic at those 17 Canadian airports was up 2.1 percent annually in 2025, with a total of 65,789,150 passengers screened.

Fort Lauderdale had the longest average wait time at TSA screening checkpoints over Christmas week, with the typical passenger waiting in line 15 minutes and 27 seconds before being screened.

Alaska Airlines (AS) and Boeing announced a monumental deal today, January 7 2026, marking the largest aircraft order in the carrier's history. The agreement includes firm orders for 105 Boeing 737-10 jets, along with options for an additional 35 aircraft. Furthermore, Alaska exercised all of its remaining options for the 787, ordering five of the high-capacity 787-10 models. This massive investment is a core component of the "Alaska Accelerate" strategic plan, aimed at modernizing the fleet and expanding the airline's global reach following its 2024 merger with Hawaiian Airlines (HA).

The new aircraft are scheduled for delivery through 2035 and will support a significant network expansion, including at least 12 long-haul international destinations from Seattle by 2030. To celebrate the 60-year partnership between the two companies, Alaska also unveiled its first 787-9 in a striking new "global livery" inspired by the Aurora Borealis. This order is seen as a major vote of confidence in Boeing, particularly regarding the 737-10, which is currently undergoing the final stages of FAA certification. By 2035, Alaska Air Group expects its total fleet to exceed 550 aircraft, nearly doubling its capacity for international service to Europe and Asia.

Irish discounter Ryanair (FR) flew 14.5 million December passengers, which was a seven percent annual increase over 2024. The airline filled 92 percent of its available revenue seats on over 82,000 flights last month. For the year, Ryanair enjoyed a five percent increase in total passenger traffic, finishing with over 206.5 million passengers and a 94 percent annual system-wide load factor.

The Norwegian Group, which comprises Norwegian (DY) and Widerøe (WF), flew 1.75 million December passengers. This was split between 1.45 million on Norwegian and 304,000 on Widerøe. Norwegian filled just shy of 85 percent of its available revenue seats for the month, with 82 percent of those flights arriving on-time. Widerøe saw a six percent drop in load factor for December, with 67.2 percent of its available revenue seats filled. For all of 2025, Norwegian and Widerøe carried a combined 27.3 million passengers.

I post various items of note from airports in regards to spending and revenues, but usually it’s for some larger or mega airports. Let’s have a look at some smaller stations for a change. South Bend, Ind. (SBN) notched 8,145 Uber or Lyft pick ups in October, a 56 percent increase over the same month in 2024. The airport also saw gross sales of $458,516 at its restaurants and concession stands in October, which was also up over 48 percent annually.

In Wichita, Kan. (ICT), the airport saw a nearly 12 percent increase in November restaurants and concession stand receipts to $728,267 in November. Parking lots brought the airport $790,883 in November.

Icelandair (FI) carried a record 5.1 million passengers in 2025, an eight percent year-on-year increase. 344,000 passengers flew in December, translating into a record December load factor of over 84 percent, with 80 percent of flights arriving on-time.

Embraer delivered 32 commercial aircraft in the last three years of 2025, including 15 second generation E195s and a trio of second generation E190s, as well as 14 E175s. For 2025, Embraer delivered 78 commercial aircraft and a total of 244 aircraft across all types.

Congratulations to Lufthansa (LH), which celebrated its 100th birthday on Tuesday.

Canada has updated a pair of its air transport agreements with two Middle Eastern countries - increasing from four to 14 passenger flights per week per country with Saudi Arabia, as well as unlimited all-cargo flights. With the United Arab Emirates, Canada now allows up to 35 passenger flights per week per country, up from 21.

Initial reports show the global air cargo sector ended 2025 with a six percent annual increase in December volumes. For all of 2025, air cargo volumes were up four percent over 2024.

Transport Canada has launched a formal regulatory probe into Air India after a captain was grounded and arrested at Vancouver on December 23, 2025 for failing two breathalyzer tests. The pilot, who was scheduled to operate Flight AI186 to Delhi, via Vienna, was offloaded after a duty-free shop employee reportedly raised concerns about his sobriety, leading to a multi-hour delay while a replacement crew was found. Citing the incident as a serious safety violation, Canadian authorities have demanded that Air India investigate the matter under its Safety Management System and submit a corrective action plan by January 26, 2026. In response, Air India has taken the pilot off flying duties and reiterated its zero-tolerance policy toward such violations, which currently occur amid heightened scrutiny of the airline’s broader safety and regulatory compliance.