Flightline 19 for August 7, 2025

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Hong Kong Airlines (HX) will begin 3x weekly flights from Hong Kong (HKG) to Melbourne (MEL) on December 12. This route will be operated by 279-seat Airbus A330-300 equipment and adds to the carrier’s international network of over 30 destinations.

Cypriot airline Tus Airways (U8) will add two routes from Tel Aviv, Israel (TLV) on October 26: 4x weekly to Barcelona (BCN) and 6x weekly to Prague (PRG). Both sectors will be served by Airbus A320 equipment.

Jetstar Airways (JQ) will begin 3x weekly flights from Brisbane (BNE) to Rarotonga, Cook Islands (RAR) in May. This route will see an Airbus A321neo LR rostered.

Alaska Airlines (AS) announced that they will begin daily flights next spring from Seattle (SEA) to London Heathrow (LHR) and Reykjavik (KEF), with Boeing 787-9s and 737 MAX 8s, respectively. No dates or frequencies have yet been announced, but Alaska did debut a revised livery that will adorn only its Boeing 787 fleet… for now. EDITOR’S NOTE: Dropping one of the most well-known logos/mascots in the industry is an interesting decision.

Spain’s Vueling (VY) is adding a quartet of routes from Barcelona later this year, as well as three other services:

• Barcelona to Agadir, Morocco (AGA) and Ljubljana, Slovenia (LJU), 2x weekly from November 16; Strasbourg, France (SXB), 3x weekly from November 27; Tromsø, Norway (TOS), 2x weekly from December 3

• Paris Orly (ORY) to Santiago, Spain (SCQ), 4x weekly from October 26,

• Santander, Spain (SDR) to Alicante, Spain (ALC), 2x weekly from October 28

• Seville, Spain (SVQ) to Essaouira, Morocco (ESU), weekly from October 4

Royal Air Maroc (AT) is set to resume four French routes on October 10: Bordeaux (BOD), Lyon (LYS), Nantes (NTE), and Toulouse (TLS). Each will be flown twice weekly by Boeing 737-800 equipment.

Spirit Airlines (NK) will add a new station in Belize City (BZE) on Novembeer 21, with the start of 3x weekly flights from Fort Lauderdale (FLL). Spirit will also add 3x weekly flights from Fort Lauderdale to Grand Cayman (GCM) on Decmeber 4. This route was last served by Spirit in August 2008.

British Airways (BA) has suspended flights from London Heathrow (LHR) to Grenoble, France (GNB), Istanbul Gokcen (SAW), and Zagreb, Croatia (ZAG) for the winter season.

CATSA screeners processed 6,578,056 passengers at the 17 largest airports in Canada in July, a 3.3 percent uptick over 2024. For the first seven months of 2025, those airports have welcomed a 2.2 percent overall increase in passengers, with 37,378,607 people screened.

Seven of the 10 busiest all-time days, in terms of passengers, for TSA have occurred in 2025.

Allegiant Air (G4) flew 2,005,932 passengers in June, a healthy 9.6 percent annual increase. The Las Vegas-based carrier flew 13,872 missions an average stage length of 861 miles during the month. 84.6 percent of available revenue seats were filled in June.

Allegiant Travel Company reported mixed financial results for the second quarter of 2025. Total operating revenue reached $689.4 million, a 3.5 percent increase year-over-year. However, the adjusted airline-only operating margin declined to 8.6 percent from 10.3 percent a year ago. Adjusted airline-only earnings per share (EPS) were $1.86, down 17 percent year-over-year. The company reported a GAAP net loss of $65.2 million, a significant change from the $13.7 million net profit in Q2 2024. Operationally, Allegiant achieved record performance with 37,000 flights and a 99.9 percent controllable completion factor. The company's balance sheet remains strong, with total liquidity of $1.1 billion, including $852.7 million in cash and investments, and $2.0 billion in debt, resulting in net debt of $1.1 billion.

PAY YOUR BILLS: Skyport, operator of Bermuda (BDA), has filed a lawsuit against BermudAir (2T) alleging the airline is millions of dollars behind on airport fee payments. After more than a year of unsuccessful private negotiations, Skyport initiated legal action on July 11 to recover the outstanding charges. The airport operator had previously granted BermudAir approximately $700,000 in fee concessions during its startup phase. BermudAir responded that it is addressing several commercial issues in good faith and hopes to reach a resolution soon, while also expressing regret over Skyport’s decision to publicize what it considers a confidential matter.

JET FUEL: The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) on Tuesday released U.S. airlines’ June 2025 fuel cost and consumption numbers. These figures show that U.S. scheduled service airlines used 1.688 billion gallons of fuel, three percent more fuel than in May 2025 and just under half of one percent more fuel than June 2024. Airlines paid an average of $2.22 per gallon in June.

The Lufthansa Group has officially ended its pursuit of acquiring a stake in Spanish carrier Air Europa (UX). The German aviation group had been exploring the deal as part of its strategy to expand its presence in Southern Europe, particularly in the valuable Madrid (MAD) hub. However, the plan faced significant regulatory hurdles and strong objections from the European Commission over potential competition concerns. With these challenges unresolved and progress stalled, Lufthansa confirmed it will no longer move forward with the transaction, opting instead to focus on other strategic opportunities within its network.

PARENTS OF THE YEAR: A couple preparing for a flight from Barcelona in late July discovered that their 10-year-old son couldn’t travel because his Spanish passport had expired and he required a visa. Rather than delay their departure, they boarded the plane with their younger child and left the 10-year-old alone in the terminal, expecting a relative to pick him up later. Staff found the boy unaccompanied and alerted the Guardia Civil. Authorities prevented the plane’s takeoff, removed the parents’ luggage, and escorted the entire family, including the abandoned boy, into custody.  It remains unclear whether the parents faced official charges in Spain, where abandoning a minor can carry legal penalties.

Turkish Airlines (TK) flew 8.2 million passengers in June, which was up nearly five percent from the year prior. Turkish enjoyed an 82.2 percent system-wide load factor for the month, and also carried over 180 thousand tons of cargo and mail in June.

easyJet (U2) notched 8.939 million passengers in June, filling 92 percent of its available revenue seats in the month.

Irish discounter Ryanair (FR) carried a record‑high 20.7 million passengers in July 2025, marking a three  percent year‑on‑year increase over July 2024’s 20.2 million. Despite air traffic control strikes in France that forced cancellation of around 680 flights, the airline maintained an impressive 96  percent load factor. On a rolling 12‑month basis, it transported approximately 203 million passengers, up about seven  percent from a year earlier.

Mexico’s Viva (VB) enjoyed a nearly 11 percent increase in annual traffic in June, with the carrier transporting 7,482,000 passegners. Viva enjoyed an 85.8 percent system-wide load factor, and closed the first half of the year with 14,316,000 passengers flown.

An air traffic controller in Colombia allowed his 17-year-old son to clear a packed Airbus A330 for takeoff during an unauthorized visit to the control tower at Bogota, Colombia (BOG), according to reports. The teenager was participating in an informal work experience when he issued the takeoff clearance under his father’s supervision, after previously communicating with around 20 flights. The incident, which occurred in June, has sparked outrage and led to a formal investigation by Argentina’s civil aviation authority. The controller has been suspended, and authorities are reviewing whether the safety of the flight or airspace was compromised during the incident.

Air Cargo 📦️ 

Lufthansa Cargo (LH) reported a nine percent increase in revenue for the second quarter of 2025, reaching approximately $920 million. The growth was driven by stable demand and improved yields despite ongoing challenges in the air cargo market. The cargo division benefited from a strong performance on Asian routes and continued optimization of its freighter network. Operating profit also improved, reflecting better cost control and efficient capacity management. Lufthansa Cargo stated that it remains cautiously optimistic for the second half of the year, with expectations of continued demand in key markets.

All Nippon Airways (NH) has completed its acquisition of Nippon Cargo Airlines (KZ), finalizing a deal that was first announced in mid-2023. The move consolidates NCA under ANA Holdings and marks the end of NCA’s status as a standalone cargo airline previously owned by NYK Line. ANA plans to integrate NCA’s fleet of Boeing 747 freighters into its own cargo operations, aiming to strengthen its position in the global air cargo market. The deal also supports ANA’s strategy to expand long-haul cargo services and improve operational efficiency across its network.

Police Blotter 🚨 

A 40‑year‑old Spirit Airlines pilot, Dominic A. Cipolla, was removed from duty after being arrested on July 17 at New Orleans (MSY) for allegedly stalking two minors in Kansas, identified as approximately 12 and 17 years old. The charges include a severity level 7 person felony and a class A misdemeanor under Kansas law, punishable by up to three years in prison and up to one year in jail or a $2,500 fine. Cipolla was arrested while working, then transferred from Louisiana to Johnson County jail in Kansas on August 2, and posted a $12,500 bond. He is due back in court on August 12. Spirit Airlines confirmed it took the pilot off duty pending investigation and reassigned his flight. Cipolla joined Spirit in 2022 after military service and a previous stint at Envoy Air (MQ).

🇲🇾 9M-MNH, an Airbus A330-941, was delivered to Malaysia Airlines (MH) on August 1.

🇨🇳 B-225P, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Air China (CA) on August 3.

🇨🇳 B-226G, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to Shanghai Airlines (FM) on August 2.

🇨🇳 B-32MX, an Airbus A320-251neo, was delivered to Spring Airlines (9C) on August 1.

🇪🇹 ET-BAZ, an Airbus A350-1041, was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines on August 1.

🇯🇴 JY-RAJ, an Airbus A320-271neo, was delivered to Royal Jordanian Airlines (RJ) on August 1.

🇺🇸 N326CJ, an Embraer E175, was delivered to Envoy Air on July 30.

🇺🇸 N331SC, an Embraer E175, was delivered to Envoy Air on July 30.

🇺🇸 N438DX, an Airbus A330-941, was delivered to Delta Air Lines (DL) on August 2.

🇹🇷 TC-RFR, an Airbus A321-251neo, was delivered to Pegasus Airlines (PC) on August 1.

🇲🇽 XA-AMD, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, was delivered to AeroMexico (AM) on July 31.

🇺🇸 N140BZ, an Embraer E105 with Breeze Airways (MX), was withdrawn from use (wfu) and ferried on July 31 to Marana, Ariz. (MZJ) where it was returned to its lessor.

🇺🇸 N222NV, an Airbus A320-214 with Allegiant Air, was wfu and ferried on August 4 to Brunswick, Maine (BXM) for part-out and scrap.

🇺🇸 N424UA, an Airbus A320-232 with United Airlines (UA), was wfu and ferried on August 4 to Marana, Ariz. (MZJ) for part-out and scrap.

$AAL ( ▼ 2.69% )  $ALGT ( ▼ 1.67% )  $ALK ( ▲ 0.27% )  $BA ( ▼ 0.42% )  $DAL ( ▼ 1.44% )  $FLYY ( ▼ 10.67% )  $JBLU ( ▼ 1.39% )  $LUV ( ▼ 0.66% )  $MESA ( 0.0% )  $RJET ( 0.0% )  $SNCY ( ▼ 2.3% )  $UAL ( ▼ 0.55% )  $ULCC ( ▼ 3.4% )