Airline Industry & Market Trends News

Airbus • News Release

China Airlines orders five more Airbus A350‑1000s, raising its A350‑1000 commitment to 15

Taiwan's China Airlines has placed a firm order for five additional Airbus A350‑1000s, taking its total commitment for the variant to 15 aircraft. The long‑haul widebodies will join the carrier's existing fleet of 15 A350‑900s following board approval in November.

2025-12-18T04:22:09.520468-08:00

CNBC

American puts first U.S. A321XLR into service on JFK–LAX, betting narrowbody range will reshape its network

2025-12-18T04:04:31.815065-08:00

Ryanair

Ryanair to open two-aircraft base at Rabat in Apr 2026 — $200m investment, 20 routes planned

2025-12-17T08:29:51.145951-08:00

CNBC

Delta President Glen Hauenstein to Retire Feb. 28, 2026 — Architect of Carrier's Premium, International Push

2025-12-17T13:27:28.269923-08:00

Airline Industry & Market Trends News Timeline

ch-aviation

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Southwest Airlines reaches agreement with Elliott Management to increase stake Southwest Airlines has reached an agreement with activist investor Elliott Management that will increase Elliott’s stake in the carrier, the companies said. The move comes after months of investor pressure and amid a company-wide strategic and operational overhaul.

2025-12-18T10:11:21.584925-08:00

Southwest Airlines reaches agreement with Elliott Management to increase stake

Runway Girl

AJet begins installing TCI multi-orbit Ka‑band broadband on its Boeing 737 MAX fleet AJet has started fitting TCI Aircraft Interiors’ multi-orbit capable Ka‑band inflight connectivity system across its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The rollout brings high‑throughput Ka‑band broadband to the Turkish low‑cost operator, upgrading passenger connectivity on its narrowbody operations.

2025-12-18T08:45:21.319345-08:00

AJet begins installing TCI multi-orbit Ka‑band broadband on its Boeing 737 MAX fleet

ch-aviation

Copa extends suspension of Venezuela flights; services paused through Jan. 15 and into early Q1 2026 Copa Airlines has extended its suspension of scheduled services to Venezuela, formally pausing flights through Jan. 15 and indicating operations will remain halted into early Q1 2026. The move comes amid a wider pullback by international carriers and safety advisories affecting access to Caracas.

2025-12-18T08:44:49.863427-08:00

Copa extends suspension of Venezuela flights; services paused through Jan. 15 and into early Q1 2026

Aviation Week

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SITA–Apple Find My integration cuts permanently lost baggage 90% and speeds recoveries 26% SITA’s WorldTracer integration with Apple AirTag and Find My location-sharing has cut permanently lost checked bags by 90% for tagged items and shortened delayed-bag recovery times by about 26%, SITA says — results reported after the first year of the SITA–Apple collaboration.

2025-12-18T08:12:23.088540-08:00

SITA–Apple Find My integration cuts permanently lost baggage 90% and speeds recoveries 26%

Simple Flying

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American adds 15 new Summer 2026 routes, boosts Chicago to 500+ daily flights and deepens Phoenix hub American Airlines will launch 15 new domestic routes for Summer 2026, expanding operations at Chicago O'Hare and Phoenix and lifting ORD departures to over 500 daily. The network adds service to smaller, outdoor‑oriented and underserved cities, including Lincoln, NE and Erie, PA, and marks its 240th domestic destination.

2025-12-18T07:10:00.487292-08:00

American adds 15 new Summer 2026 routes, boosts Chicago to 500+ daily flights and deepens Phoenix hub

thebulkheadseat.com

JetBlue opens first BlueHouse lounge at JFK Terminal 5, a flagship push into premium services JetBlue opened its first BlueHouse lounge at New York JFK’s Terminal 5 at 5:00 AM ET on Dec. 18, 2025, debuting a residential New York apartment–style space. The launch is a core element of the carrier’s JetForward strategy to expand approachable premium amenities ahead of peak travel.

2025-12-18T06:43:59.542728-08:00

JetBlue opens first BlueHouse lounge at JFK Terminal 5, a flagship push into premium services

AirInsight

Airbus A321XLR — data-driven assessment of market impact, performance and production A data-driven analysis assesses the Airbus A321XLR’s market impact, operational performance and production ramp, quantifying range economics, utilization and delivery constraints to show how the XLR is reshaping network planning, fleet economics and OEM production priorities for carriers and suppliers.

2025-12-18T05:56:49.764001-08:00

Airbus A321XLR — data-driven assessment of market impact, performance and production

AeroTime

Azul credits Fetcherr’s Large Market Model with rapid revenue uplift and revenue‑management gains Azul Airlines says deployment of Fetcherr’s Large Market Model (LMM) produced a sudden surge in revenue and materially improved its revenue‑management performance. The carrier attributes measurable commercial uplift and optimized revenue‑management outcomes to the third‑party AI model across its operations.

2025-12-18T05:52:41.229721-08:00

Azul credits Fetcherr’s Large Market Model with rapid revenue uplift and revenue‑management gains

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