Flightline Briefing 68 - February 9, 2026

Frontier Airlines (F9) is closing 13 stations, with most set to shutter by this coming May. Note that some of these cities have come and gone multiple times over the years. Since we made this nice graphic, I figured we’d include it separately from the above section.

🇨🇳 B-659F, a COMAC C919-100STD, was delivered to China Southern Airlines (CZ) on February 5, 2026.

🇮🇪 EI-ILT, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Ryanair (FR) on February 4, 2026.

🇭🇺 HA-LDL, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to Wizz Air on February 6, 2026.

🇭🇺 HA-LDM, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to Wizz Air on February 4, 2026.

🇨🇴 HK-5479, an ATR 72-600, was delivered to Clic (VE) on February 5, 2026.

🇺🇸 N17425, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, was delivered to United Airlines (UA) on February 5, 2026.

🇺🇸 N263BZ, an Airbus A220-300, was delivered to Breeze Airways (MX) on February 4, 2026.

🇺🇸 N604DN, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to Delta Air Lines (DL) on February 6, 2026.

🇺🇸 N8990Q, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Southwest Airlines (WN) on February 5, 2026.

🇵🇬 P2-ATY, an ATR 72-600, was delivered to PNG Air (CG) on February 6, 2026.

🇻🇳 VN-A909, an Airbus A320-251neo, was delivered to Sun PhuQuoc Airways (9G) on February 6, 2026.

🇯🇵 JA753A, a Boeing 777-381 with All Nippon Airways (NH), was withdrawn from use (wfu) and ferried on February 3, 2026. to Victorville, Calif. (VCV) for part-out and scrap.

🇺🇸 N549US, a Boeing 757-251 with Delta Air Lines, was wfu and ferried on February 3, 2026. to Victorville, Calif. for part-out and scrap. This frame, delivered new to Northwest Airlines in September 1996, had 89,611 hours and 32,857 cycles as of December 13, 2025.

🇩🇰 OY-JZJ, a Boeing 737-82R with Jettime (J0), was wfu and ferried on February 7, 2026. to Greenwood, Miss. (GWO) for part-out and scrap.

A United Airlines passenger mistakenly boarded the wrong aircraft and ended up en route to Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) instead of their intended destination, Managua, Nicaragua (MGA), highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities in gate management and boarding verification at busy hubs. According to reports, the traveler was cleared at the gate and boarded without the error being detected until after departure, forcing United to coordinate accommodations, rebooking, and onward travel once the mistake was identified. The incident underscores the importance of strict boarding pass verification procedures and situational awareness at crowded terminals, particularly during peak international departure banks where multiple widebody flights may be boarding simultaneously.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General has launched a formal audit of the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic controller training pipeline at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City as part of efforts to address a persistent shortage of certified controllers needed to safely manage the national airspace system. The review will examine the agency’s ability to meet its hiring targets, including current training capacity, instructor availability, high trainee failure rates (over 30 percent in FY 2024), and progress updating the controller curriculum, after a major recruitment push last year brought in roughly 600 new trainees, the largest class in Academy history. This audit comes amid long-standing staffing challenges driven by retirements, washouts, and disruptions to training, and aims to identify obstacles and potential improvements in developing the controller workforce through at least 2028. 

As online reports indicate that Spirit Airlines (NK) saw as much as eight percent of its pilots depart the airline in January, the beleaguered carrier was forced to cancel nine percent of its schedule yesterday and seven percent on Saturday.

The Norwegian Group, comprising Norwegian (DY) and Widerøe (WF), reported carrying a total of 1.52 million passengers in January 2026. This performance was anchored by 1.24 million passengers for Norwegian and 282,000 for Widerøe. Despite January being a seasonally slower month for the industry, Norwegian maintained a strong 85.8 percent system-wide load factor, effectively filling its available seating capacity while operating 99.3 percent of its scheduled flights. During the same period, Widerøe achieved a system-wide load factor of 64.2 percent and maintained high operational reliability by completing 96.5 percent of its scheduled missions.

Bangladesh’s civil aviation ministry has appointed Humaira Sultana as the new head of Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG) after the airline’s former managing director and CEO, Shafiqur Rahman, was arrested and charged in a criminal case related to alleged abuse of a child domestic worker. Rahman’s contract was terminated and Sultana, an additional secretary in the ministry, has been given responsibility to lead the national carrier. Her appointment makes her the first woman to head Biman since its founding in 1972, a symbolic milestone for the flag carrier as it works to maintain operational continuity and rebuild confidence amid ongoing leadership challenges.

Finnair (AY) flew 912,300 January passengers, a nearly four percent year-on-year increase. Finnair filled just over 74 percent of its available revenue seats during the month, with flights arriving on-time just under 64 percent of the time.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) on Thursday released U.S. airlines’ December 2025 fuel cost and consumption numbers indicating U.S. scheduled service airlines used 1.614 billion gallons of fuel, 8.8 percent more fuel than in November 2025 (1.483 billion gallons) and 1.1 percent more fuel than December 2024 (1.597 billion gallons). The cost per gallon of fuel in December 2025 ($2.32) was down 10 cents (4.2%) from November 2025 ($2.42) and down 1 cent (0.4 percent) from December 2024 ($2.33).

Airbus kicked off 2026 with a notably quiet month, handing over just 31 commercial aircraft to 17 customers. This performance reflects the typical "post-December hangover" common in the industry, as the manufacturer resets its pipeline following the intense push to meet year-end targets in 2025. While the total volume was lower than the 25 deliveries recorded in January 2025, the month was marked by significant milestones, most notably the induction of the first Airbus A321XLR into commercial service with IndiGo (6E) on January 7, 2026. This delivery is a major strategic win for both the airline and Airbus, as it opens up long-haul, single-aisle routes from India to destinations as far as Athens.

2025 Italian airport passenger totals are available below for paid subscribers.

Breeze Airways has solidified its position as one of the fastest-growing carriers in the U.S., projecting a significant 41 percent increase in flight operations for the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year. This aggressive expansion is underpinned by a dual-track strategy: deepening its domestic presence in underserved markets and making a historic leap into international territory with new service to Nassau (NAS), Cancun (CUN), and Punta Cana (PUJ). The airline's growth is largely driven by its modern Airbus A220-300 fleet—with new aircraft arriving roughly every three weeks—allowing for a transition toward all-A220 scheduled service. Key regional hubs are fueling this surge; for instance, flight schedules in Raleigh-Durham (RDU) have nearly doubled with a 98 percent year-over-year increase, while Orlando (MCO) and Tampa (TPA) have seen jumps of 50 percent and 63 percent respectively. As the carrier targets its first full year of sustained profitability, this 40 percent growth milestone reflects founder David Neeleman’s vision of capturing untapped market potential through point-to-point connectivity and a revamped Breezy Rewards loyalty program.

Saudi carrier Flynas (XY) has signed an agreement with the Syrian Civil Aviation Authority to establish a new low-cost subsidiary, flynas Syria, which is scheduled to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2026. The airline is structured as a joint venture with the Syrian state holding a 51 percent stake and flynas owning 49 percent. This strategic partnership aims to restore Syria's air connectivity with key markets in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East while modernizing the nation's civil aviation sector under the oversight of the interim government. Although specific fleet details have not been released, the new carrier is expected to standardize with Airbus A320 family aircraft to boost passenger traffic at Damascus (DAM). Currently, flynas is already the leading foreign operator in the Syrian market, maintaining 21 weekly flights to various destinations in Saudi Arabia.

Israel’s flag carrier El Al Israel Airlines (LY) is facing a potential record fine of about $39 million after Israel’s Competition Authority concluded the airline abused monopolistic power by sharply raising fares in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, when many foreign carriers suspended flights and El Al’s market share surged from roughly 20 percent to over 70 percent. Regulators found average fares increased around 16 percent, with some routes rising as much as 31 percent, and said the pricing reflected “excessive” levels not justified by normal commercial factors. El Al disputes the finding and plans to challenge the determination, arguing the increases do not constitute price gouging and emphasizing its role in maintaining an air bridge to Israel while most international airlines withdrew.

Maersk Air Cargo (DJ) has confirmed the sale of three Boeing 767-300 freighters that have been operated by Amerijet International (M6) on transpacific routes, citing “owned controlled fleet optimisation” as the driver behind the transaction. The aircraft, sold to what Maersk describes as a close strategic partner, have been flying under a three-year agreement that expires on April 1, 2026, with transfers scheduled for mid-March.

Amerijet said the contract’s conclusion will result in the furlough of around 40 pilots on February 28, representing roughly 20 percent of its flight crew, while no other employee groups are currently affected. Maersk emphasized that customer capacity will continue to be supported through a combination of partnerships and its own controlled operations. Following the 767 sale, Maersk Air Cargo’s fleet now comprises two 777Fs and 16 Boeing 767 freighters.