Flightline 13 for July 17, 2025

EDITOR’S NOTE: The next issue or two may be slightly delayed due to my travel commitments.

FOLLOW FLIGHTLINE ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Bluesky / Instagram / Twitter aka X

After a 28-year absence, Gulf Air (GF) will return to the U.S. on October 1, with a 3x weekly Bahrain (BAH) to New York Kennedy (JFK) run. This 6,613 mile route will be operated by 282-seat Boeing 787-9 equipment on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays..

• GF91 0400 BAH JFK 1055

• GF90 1500 JFK BAH 1035 +1 day

Saudia (SV) will add 3x weekly Riyadh (RUH) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) service on October 7. This route will be flown by Airbus A320 equipment.

Etihad Airways (EY) is adding seven new destinations from its Abu Dhabi (AUH) hub: Almaty, Kazakhstan (ALA); Baku, Azerbaijan (GYD); Bucharest, Hungary (OTP); Medina, Saudia Arabia (MED); Tblisi, Georgia (TBS); Tashkent, Uzbekistan (TAS); and Yerevan, Armenia (EVN). All routes begin in March, with the exception of Medina which commences on November 9.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (WN) announced on Monday that it will open a new station at St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. (STT) in early 2026. No further details, routes, or frequencies were revealed.

Jetstar Airways (JQ) will begin 3x weekly flights from Brisbane (BNE) to Cebu, Philippines (CEB) on December 3. This route will be flown by Airbus A321LR equipment.

Caribbean Airlines (BW) is adding a 3x weekly run from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (POS) to San Juan, P.R. (SJU), via Dominica (DOM) on August 14. This route will see an ATR72 rostered.

Delta Air Lines (DL) is adding daily flights from Los Angeles to (LAX) to Hong Kong (HKG) on June 6. This route will be operated by Airbus A350-900 equipment. Delta last flew to Hong Kong in 2018. Additionally, Delta has added 3x daily flights from Los Angeles to Chicago O’Hare (ORD), with that Boeing 737-800 route set to start on June 7.

Luxair (LG) has added several seasonal routes from Luxembourg (LUX) this summer, with most set to run from late March to early July. The destinations, which will be weekly or twice weekly, are: Girona, Spain (GRO), Edinburgh (EDI), Helsinki (HEL), Tunis (TUN), Alicante, Spain (ALC), Bilbao, Spain (BIO), Zakynthos, Greece (ZTH) and Patras-Araxos, Greece (PTH), and Porto Santo, Portugal (PXO).

Air India (AI) is taking a breather on its 3x weekly Boeing 787-8 Delhi (DEL) to Nairobi, Kenya (NBO) sector, with flights not operating between September 1 and October 25.

Avelo Airlines (XP) is suspending a quarter of routes from Lakeland, Fla. (LAL) this fall:

• Grand Rapids, Michigan. (GRR), September 1 - November 7

• New York Islip (ISP), September 1 - November 7

• Rochester, N.Y. (ROC), September 2 - November 6

• San Juan, P.R., September 1 - November 19

WestJet (WS) is dropping three more U.S. routes: Victoria, B.C. (YYJ) to Las Vegas (LAS); Ottawa (YOW) to Fort Myers, Fla. (RSW); and Winnipeg (YWG) to Los Angeles.

Avelo Airlines is throwing in the towel on its West Coast network in mid-August, with the following routes set to be axed:

• Burbank, Calif. (BUR) to Arcata, Calif. (ACV), Eugene, Ore. (EUG), Kalispell, Mont. (FCA), Medford, Ore. (MFR), Palm Springs, Calif. (PSP), Pasco, Wash. (PSC), Redmond, Ore. (RDM), Salem, Ore. (SLE), and Santa Rosa, Calif. (STS).

• Las Vegas to Redmond, Ore. and Salem, Ore.

• Palm Springs to Redmond, Ore.

• Santa Rosa, Calif. to Kalispell, Mont., Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Calif., and Redmond, Ore.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) maintains an online Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Reading Room, where you can download all sorts of various documents. Thanks to Seth Miller on Bluesky for pointing this out.

Wizz Air (W6) has announced it will cease operations of its Abu Dhabi‑based carrier from September 1, 2025, marking the end of a four‑year joint venture with ADQ. The airline cited several key challenges: engine performance degradation in the Gulf’s hot and harsh climate, recurring airspace disruptions due to Middle East geopolitical instability, and limited traffic rights that failed to materialize as hoped. Currently operating 148 weekly flights to 25 destinations, many of which have no alternative carriers, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (5W) will see these routes discontinued unless taken over by competitors like Etihad (EY) or Air Arabia (G9). Following this strategic pivot, Wizz Air plans to refocus its growth on core Central and Eastern European markets, citing stronger long‑term profitability there. The carrier has already begun informing affected passengers about rebooking or refunds. Wizz also flagged engine reliability issues with its Airbus A321 Neo fleet as a deeper operational concern in demanding regional environments, a factor compounding its decision to withdraw.

The average U.S. domestic air fare decreased in the first quarter of 2025 to $397, down 1.2 percent from the fourth quarter of 2024’s inflation-adjusted fare of $402. One-way fares accounted for 39 percent of all trips, which of course means round-trip tickets were the other 61 percent

HANGAR QUEEN: February’s Hangar Queen was N590NN, a PSA Airlines (OH) Canadair CRJ-700, which failed to answer the dispatcher’s bell 13 times during the month. Its cousin, N613NN, was in second place. Both sickly aircraft are working for American Eagle. A special thanks to Enilria for allowing me to share this content that he posted on his excellent page/feed/channel. If you aren’t following him, you are missing out.

U.S. airlines flew 80.4 million passengers on domestic and international flights in April 2025, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

Delta Air Lines has agreed to pay $8.1 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false reports regarding employee compensation costs. The U.S. Department of Justice announced that from 2010 to 2015, Delta allegedly misstated the amount it paid its employees working on contracts with the U.S. Postal Service for the transportation of mail domestically and internationally. These misstatements allegedly resulted in Delta receiving higher payments than it was entitled to under the contracts, which reimbursed certain labor costs.

The case stemmed from a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former Delta employee. The whistleblower, who brought the violations to light, will receive approximately $850,000 as part of the settlement. The settlement underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring accuracy in federal contracting and protecting taxpayer dollars. While Delta did not admit wrongdoing, it cooperated with the investigation.

TIN FOIL HATS: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posted an entire page dedicated to debunking the absurd “chemtrails” conspiracy theory. The EPA explains that contrails, or condensation trails, are harmless clouds formed by jet-engine exhaust when hot, moist emissions mix with cold, humid air at high altitudes - essentially the same phenomenon as seeing your breath on a cold day. Whether short-lived or persistent is determined by atmospheric conditions, if humidity is high, contrails can linger and even evolve into cirrus-like clouds.

The page clarifies that these persistent trails are not intentional releases of chemicals or biological agents. The EPA notes that while chemicals are occasionally sprayed from aircraft (such as in firefighting or crop-dusting), those are conducted by low-flying propeller planes and are well-regulated, and not part of high-altitude jet operations. Furthermore, the EPA stresses that there is no evidence of contrail-based geoengineering or deliberate chemical dispersal at high altitudes. Instead, government agencies are promoting transparency to address public confusion and distinguish between weather-modification experiments like cloud seeding and everyday aircraft operations.

Virgin Atlantic Airways (VS) has decided to retire its iconic onboard bars on widebody aircraft, including Boeing 787s and Airbus A330s, phasing them out by 2030. CEO Shai Weiss explained that while the bars were once a defining social feature, they now occupy valuable space that could instead be used for premium seating, such as “Retreat Suites”—spacious, two-person social hubs integrated into business cabins. The move is part of a broader $17 billion cabin upgrade driven by strong demand for premium travel; Virgin plans to shrink its economy cabin by around 30 percent while expanding upper-class and premium-economy offerings on both A330-900neos and retrofitted 787-9s. This shift aligns with broader modern travel trends, which is less emphasis on inflight bars and more on private, comfortable premium experiences backed by features like high-speed Starlink Wi‑Fi and AI concierge services.

How much does a gently used Airbus A380 cost? Emirates (EK) is purchasing four A380s that it has leased for the last 12 years for $180 million, or $45 million each.

The United Kingdom has lifted its ban on Pakistani airlines, a move that will allow Pakistan International Airlines (PK) to resume flights to British airports after five years. The ban was originally imposed in 2020 following a scandal over pilot license irregularities in Pakistan. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reinstated approval for Pakistan after reviewing improvements in safety and regulatory oversight by Pakistan’s aviation authorities. The move is expected to restore direct connectivity between the two countries and boost travel and trade ties.

GlobalX (G6) marked a key milestone by purchasing its first aircraft, an Airbus A320 (N630VA). Previously operating only leased planes, this acquisition signals a shift toward a hybrid ownership model aimed at reducing long-term costs, enabling cabin customization, and boosting asset value . Simultaneously, GlobalX has secured lease agreements for four additional Airbus A319s from AE Industrial Partners, marking a 20 percent fleet expansion.

Air Belgium (KF), which emerged from bankruptcy in April 2025 under the ownership of French logistics giant CMA CGM (2C), has retired its entire Airbus freighter fleet and now operates exclusively with two Boeing 747‑8 freighters. The airline made this move to streamline its operations and focus on more profitable cargo and ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance) services. The Boeing 747‑8F, renowned for its massive payload capacity (over 140 tonnes) and transcontinental range (~7,730 nautical miles), is well-suited for heavy and oversized cargo, which is what Air Belgium is prioritizing. Under CMA CGM’s backing, the airline is repositioning itself firmly in the freight market, offering high-volume cargo services while maintaining cost-effective, standardized operations around a simplified fleet of 747‑8Fs.

On Monday, a teenager was taken into custody after allegedly making a bomb threat aboard a Spirit Airlines (NK) flight at Fort Lauderdale (FLL). The threat prompted authorities to evacuate passengers and conduct a thorough security sweep of the aircraft. The flight, which was preparing for departure, was delayed while the Broward Sheriff’s Office and bomb squad responded to the scene. No explosives were found, and the teen now faces serious charges related to making a false bomb threat, a felony offense. STORY TIME: Many years ago while working at the airport I recall a teenager being caught stealing one of the life jackets off an aircraft. The police were called, and judging by the young man’s face, it seemed as if he may have preferred the cops take him as opposed to going home with his father. That father was standing nearby with a look that told of heavy discipline too be applied in short order. Even the police officer commented later that he thought the young man would be in more trouble at home than anywhere else!

🇨🇳 B-32ML, an Airbus A320-251neo, was delivered to China Southern Airlines (CZ) on July 15.

🇲🇦 CN-RHD, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Royal Air Maroc (AT) on July 14.

🇫🇷 F-HUVS, an Airbus A350-941, was delivered to Air France (AF) on July 15.

🇺🇸 N14540, an Airbus A321-271neo, was delivered to United Ailrines (UA) on July 15.

🇺🇸 N310UM, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to American Airlines (AA) on July 15.

🇺🇸 N641NN, a Canadair CRJ-900, was delivered to PSA Airlines on July 16. This frame was previously EI-FPN with Scandinavian (SK), 2017-2024.

🇺🇸 N823NV, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Allegiant Air (G4) on July 14.

$AAL ( ▼ 2.21% )  $ALGT ( ▼ 2.3% )  $ALK ( ▼ 1.52% )  $BA ( ▼ 0.08% )  $DAL ( ▼ 0.77% )  $FLYY ( ▼ 0.5% )  $JBLU ( ▼ 0.78% )  $LUV ( ▼ 0.87% )  $MESA ( ▲ 1.82% )  $RJET ( 0.0% )  $SNCY ( ▼ 3.31% )  $UAL ( ▼ 0.65% )  $ULCC ( ▼ 4.11% )