Flightline Briefing 62 - January 19, 2026

A man flying from Omaha, Neb. (OMA)to Detroit (DTW), who disrupted the flight and caused a diversion to Cedar Rapids, Iowa (CID), was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison.

Mario Nikprelaj, age 24, from Shelby Township, Michigan, received the prison term after a September 23, 2025, guilty plea to one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants.

Information at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that, on July 17, 2025, Nikprelaj boarded a plane in Omaha, Nebraska, bound for Detroit, Michigan.  Even before the plane left the gate, Nikprelaj began making disruptive and rude statements to passengers and flight crew.  Nikprelaj refused to put his seatbelt on, but a flight attendant eventually convinced him to do so and the plane took off.

Once in the air, Nikprelaj began disrupting the flight and interfering with the flight crew’s performance of their duties.  He repeatedly took off his seat belt and had to be told to put it back on.  He flipped off the flight attendant telling him to put his seat belt on and stood up repeatedly while the plane was ascending.  Eventually, Nikprelaj poked the flight attendant in the chest.  The flight attendant told Nikprelaj that the flight attendant would report him to law enforcement.  Nikprelaj threatened to kill the flight attendant.

Eventually, Nikprelaj appeared to have fallen asleep in his seat.  The two flight attendants began service for the passengers.  However, several passengers pressed their emergency call buttons when Nikprelaj began manipulating the emergency exit door near his seat.  Passengers believed he was trying to open the door.  The flight attendant Nikprelaj had threatend, who was 80 years old, approached him again to stop him.  Nikprelaj pushed the flight attendant away, swore at the flight attendant, and continued to threaten to kill him.

After this incident was reported to him, the captain of the plane decided to make an emergency landing in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  As the plane was descending, Nikprelaj again stood up, took his shirt off, and began walking up and down the aisle.  The flight crew asked for help from the passengers.  Three passengers approached Nikprelaj, and he became belligerent with them.  Nikprelaj took a swing at them.  He eventually returned to his seat.  While the plane was landing, Nikprelaj continued to flip off the flight attendant and other passengers.

Officers from the Cedar Rapids Police Department were waiting for the plane to land.  After it landed, they boarded the plane and took Nikprelaj into custody.  When officers searched him, they found a prescription bottle containing 41 pills of purported Xanax.  The prescription on the bottle was not in Nikprelaj’s name.

Nikprelaj has a criminal history including a conviction for assaulting, resisting, or obstructing a police officer.  In that situation, Nikprelaj ran from, resisted even when tasered, and fought with law enforcement officers.  He also has convictions for domestic violence, disorderly conduct, breaking and entering, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Nikprelaj was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Nikprelaj was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a two-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. scheduled-service passenger airlines employed 551,878 workers in November 2025, or 52 percent of the industry-wide total. Passenger airlines gained 1,708 employees in November 2025. American Airlines (AA) led scheduled passenger carriers, adding 703 employees; Delta Air Lines (DL) added 382, and Southwest Airlines (WN) added 292.

Latvian carrier airBaltic (BT) carried 422,907 passengers in December 2025, essentially flat year-over-year, while operating 3,917 flights, a 3.5 percent increase compared with December 2024. The airline’s load factor eased to 77.1 percent, partly reflecting higher capacity and travel disruptions at Vilnius Airport, but overall traffic volumes remained stable across its European network. For the full year, airBaltic posted its highest annual passenger total on record, transporting about 5.21 million travelers, a 1.4 percent gain over 2024, on 47,600 flights (up 2.6 percent) with an 80.2 percent load factor. The results underscore continued network demand and incremental capacity growth as the airline connects the Baltic States to 80 destinations across Europe and beyond.

American Airlines regional unit PSA Airlines (OH) has officially completed its relocation of its corporate headquarters from Dayton, Ohio (DAY) to Charlotte, opening a new campus and becoming the only Part 121 passenger airline headquartered in the state. The move brings more than 450 team members to the Charlotte facility, including roughly 250 newly created positions, and places the airline close to American’s Charlotte Flight Training Center and Charlotte. PSA will maintain a significant operational presence in Dayton, including its crew base and maintenance hangar, while continuing to support American’s regional network across four hubs.

United Airlines has officially pivoted its long-haul fleet strategy by converting an existing order for 56 Boeing 787-9 aircraft to the larger Boeing 787-10 variant. This upgauging move signals a clear intent to maximize capacity and lower per-seat costs on high-density international routes where slot constraints are a factor. While the 787-9 offers superior range for "long-thin" routes, the 787-10 provides a significant increase in premium and economy seating, aligning with UA’s broader "United Next" strategy of aggressive capacity growth. Delivery timelines for these 787s are expected to remain consistent with the original schedule, further solidifying the carrier's position as a dominant operator of the Boeing (BA) wide-body family.

The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has taken up D-ABYD, a Boeing 747-830 from Lufthansa (LH), with the aircraft being re-registered as N7478E to Gridiron Air and ferried on the 16th to an airfield in Waco, Texas (CNW).

Shreveport Regional Airport Eyes Major Upgrade

Shreveport, La. (SHV) is advancing plans for significant infrastructure improvements aimed at enhancing safety, operational capacity, and future growth. The project framework includes major upgrades that support both airside and ground operations, with a focus on modernizing facilities and positioning the airport for increased passenger and traffic demand. The improvements are part of broader efforts to elevate Shreveport’s role as a regional gateway and to accommodate continued growth in commercial service. 

Additional context from publicly reported federal funding shows that Shreveport has secured millions in Airport Infrastructure Grants to fund terminal expansion, facility modernization, and safety enhancements — including new gates, upgraded passenger areas, and air traffic control tower relocation — underscoring a multi-phase push toward long-term capacity improvements. 

U.S. cargo airlines employed 515,253 workers in November 2025, or 48 percent of the industry-wide total. Cargo carriers gained 20,210 employees in November 2025. FedEx (FX), the leading air cargo employer thanks in part to inclusion of its ground operations, increased employment by 20,281 jobs. Other cargo carriers lost 71 employees in November.