Flightline Briefing 70 - February 16, 2026

🇸🇬 9V-MBU, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Singapore Airlines (SQ) on February 13.

🇪🇸 EC-OSN, a Bombardier CRJ-1000, was delivered to Air Nostrum (YW) on February 14.

🇪🇹 ET-BAP, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines (ET) on February 13.

🇺🇸 N17433, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, was delivered to United Airlines (UA) on February 13.

🇺🇸 N3291J, an Airbus A220-300, was delivered to JetBlue (B6) on February 13.

🇺🇸 N337DU, an Airbus A220-300, was delivered to Delta Air Lines on February 12.

🇺🇸 N47434, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, was delivered to United Airlines on February 14.

N8993Q, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Southwest Airlines on February 13.

🇳🇱 PH-YHQ, an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to Transavia (HV) on February 12.

🇵🇱 SP-RZY, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Buzz (RR) on February 13.

🇺🇿 UK33033, an Airbus A330-343, was delivered to Centrum Air (C6) on February 13.

🇻🇳 VN-A906, an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to Sun PhuQuoc Airways (S8) on February 14.

🇻🇳 VN-A908, an Airbus A320-251neo, was delivered to Sun PhuQuoc Airways on February 13.

🇮🇳 VT-YBL, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Akasa Air (QP) on February 11.

🇩🇪 D-AIFD, an Airbus A340-313 with Lufthansa (LH), was withdrawn from use (wfu) and ferried on February 12 to Teruel, Spain (TEV) for part-out and scrap.

🇩🇪 D-AXGF, an Airbus A330-202 with Discover Airlines (4Y), was wfu and ferried on February 13 to Lourdes, France (LDE) where it was returned to its lessor.

FLEET RENEWAL: On February 11, 2026, Air Canada (AC) announced a pivotal order for eight Airbus A350-1000 wide-body aircraft, which includes purchase rights for an additional eight units. This deal, valued at approximately $3 billion based on current market estimates if all options are exercised, marks the airline's first firm order for Airbus widebodies in nearly three decades. These state-of-the-art jets are scheduled to begin delivery in the second half of 2030 and will feature the airline’s newest cabin standards. Powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, the A350-1000 offers an impressive range of up to 9,000 nautical miles, enabling the carrier to explore new ultra-long-haul markets in Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Indian subcontinent.

The A350-1000 is primarily designated to replace the aging Boeing 777-300/ER and 777-200/LR aircraft currently in the fleet. As the new flagship, the A350 will succeed the high-capacity 777-300/ER workhorses while providing up to a 25 percent reduction in fuel consumption and improved cargo economics. Additionally, its superior range makes it a direct replacement for the 777-200/LR on specialized ultra-long-range routes to cities like Sydney (SYD) and Mumbai (BOM), effectively modernizing Air Canada's long-haul capabilities for the next decade.

January 2026 Airline On-Time Performance statistics are available below for paid subscribers. This issue features Asia/Pacific and European airline rankings. Thursday we share Latin American and African airline data. 🔒 Upgrade your subscription to see this and more data throughout the year.

Etihad Airways (EY) enjoyed a 29 percent increase in January traffic, opening 2026 with 2.2 million passengers. Etihad filled 90 percent of its available revenue seats during the month.

Turkish Airlines flew 7,606,557 passengers in January, up over 12 percent from 2025. System-wide load factor for the month was 84 percent across 46,742 flights.

On February 13, 2026, Norwegian Group (DY) reported a record-breaking financial performance for the full year 2025, achieving its highest-ever operating profit (EBIT) of approximately $388 million. This milestone, which represents a robust operating margin of 9.9 percent, was bolstered by the successful integration of Widerøe and the "Program X" efficiency initiative that effectively mitigated rising industry costs. Throughout 2025, the group carried 27.3 million passengers and maintained high operational standards, with Norwegian achieving a load factor of 86.0 percent.

U.S. airlines carried 74.8 million systemwide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers in November 2025, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). When adjusted for seasonality, November enplanements are down 1.4% from October and down 4.3 percent from the all-time high reached in June 2024. BTS reported 65.4 million domestic passengers and 9.4 million international passengers on U.S. airlines flights in November, not adjusting for seasonality.

Spirit Airlines (NK) is asking a U.S. bankruptcy court to approve an auction of 20 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft as part of its ongoing Chapter 11 restructuring, with an initial bid of about $533.5 million and competing offers expected in April. The ultra-low-cost carrier says the sale, aimed at shrinking fleet size and cutting costs, would help pay down debt tied to the aircraft. Spirit has already rejected certain leases and scaled back its network as it navigates its second bankruptcy filing in less than a year. 

Delta Air Lines will begin placing select Airbus A321neo aircraft into service with an expanded Delta First cabin that nearly doubles the usual number of premium seats, featuring 44 First Class seats on seven jets through the initial rollout. This temporary configuration, starting this spring and into early summer, allows the airline to deploy new aircraft more rapidly while awaiting certification of lie-flat suites, with the larger premium cabin scheduled to operate on flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Los Angeles (LAX), San Diego (SAN), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA).

Air Canada has officially transitioned its Cuba operations from a standard passenger network to a dedicated repatriation mission following the suspension of service due to critical aviation fuel shortages on the island. Effective February 9, the airline halted its 16 weekly flights from Toronto (YYZ) and Montreal (YUL) after government NOTAMs warned that Jet A fuel would be commercially unavailable at Cuban airports. To retrieve approximately 3,000 stranded customers, AC is utilizing "tankering" tactics—departing Canada with extra fuel and planning potential technical stops—to operate empty southbound ferry flights that return as passenger-laden recovery legs. While seasonal service to Holguín (HOG) and Santa Clara (SNU) is cancelled for the duration of the winter timetable, year-round routes to Varadero (VRA) and Cayo Coco (CCC) remain suspended with a tentative restart date of May 1.

Following the total suspension of air connectivity scheduled for February 24, Russian carriers Rossiya (FV) and Nordwind (N4) have activated a contingency airlift to evacuate approximately 4,000 tourists currently stranded in Cuba. This emergency response follows a severe aviation fuel crisis on the island, mirroring similar pullouts by North American operators. Rossiya has scheduled six dedicated rescue frequencies—five from Varadero and one from Havana — utilizing Boeing 777 aircraft to repatriate passengers through February 21. Meanwhile, Nordwind launched its evacuation efforts on February 12 with a special service to Varadero. These "rescue-only" operations mark the end of regular service to Cuba for Russians for the foreseeable future.

For any United Airlines fans, someone has created The Blue Board, a website that basically looks exactly like something you would see in an airline operations center. I’m not sure what information you couldn’t find on here, but do have a look around. Flightline grabbed the latest fleet totals as well from The Blue Board.

If you like fleet data like this, here is the fleet of Allegiant Air (G4), and how it is projected to look at the end of each quarter in 2026.

Chicago Rockford (RFD) reported strong cargo growth in 2025, handling roughly 3.4 billion pounds of freight, a year-over-year increase of about 9.3 percent and marking its second-busiest cargo year on record. Expanded international partnerships and consistent carrier activity helped drive the volume gains, reinforcing RFD’s role as one of the Midwest’s key logistics hubs and maintaining its position among the top cargo airports in the United States.