Airline Industry & Market Trends News

CNBC • Leslie Josephs

Frontier CEO Barry Biffle steps down after 11 years; James G. Dempsey named interim CEO

Frontier Airlines said longtime chief executive Barry Biffle will step down and the carrier’s president, James G. Dempsey, has been named interim CEO. Biffle, who led Frontier since March 2016, leaves after 11 years and the airline gave no reason for his departure.

2025-12-15T14:00:34.090202-08:00

Bloomberg

FAA chief defends cuts at 40 major airports during shutdown, citing safety

2025-12-15T17:03:36.706012-08:00

Aviation Week

Austrian abruptly ends Braathens Regional wet‑lease after failed audit and Braathens International insolvency

2025-12-15T10:51:43.370608-08:00

Skift

U.S. Raises Travel Fees and Entry Rules — Experts Warn of Hit to International Arrivals

2025-12-15T09:45:22.495894-08:00

Airline Industry & Market Trends News Timeline

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

Delta hit with $5.2M class action alleging payroll errors from aging IT systems A retired Delta pilot filed a class-action seeking $5.2 million, alleging the airline's aging payroll and HR IT systems caused repeated wage-and-hour violations. The suit claims systemic payroll errors led to underpayments and compliance failures that could trigger back-pay, penalties and reputational damage for Delta.

2025-12-16T03:16:37.001251-08:00

Delta hit with $5.2M class action alleging payroll errors from aging IT systems

ch-aviation

ECOWAS to abolish air‑transport taxes from Jan. 1, 2026; passenger and security fees cut 25% ECOWAS announced on Dec. 10 it will abolish air‑transport taxes across its twelve member states, effective 1 January 2026 (Q1), and cut passenger and security fees by 25%. The coordinated package removes national aviation levies and reduces key charges across the bloc.

2025-12-16T01:27:10.053142-08:00

ECOWAS to abolish air‑transport taxes from Jan. 1, 2026; passenger and security fees cut 25%

Seattle Times

Alaska begins commercial Starlink Wi‑Fi service on four Embraer E175s after early FAA sign‑off Alaska Airlines has started commercial flights with SpaceX Starlink inflight Wi‑Fi on four Embraer E175 regional jets after an early FAA certification cleared the retrofit. The deployment, originally slated for 2026, was advanced to bring high‑speed broadband to the carrier’s regional fleet sooner.

2025-12-16T00:02:44.434503-08:00

Alaska begins commercial Starlink Wi‑Fi service on four Embraer E175s after early FAA sign‑off

FlightGlobal

airBaltic names Erno Hilden CEO as carrier grapples with delayed IPO and financial pressure Erno Hilden has taken over as CEO of Latvian carrier airBaltic amid mounting financial pressure and a delayed initial public offering. He inherits an airline management says has emerged from “some of the most challenging years” but is actively weighing alternatives to an IPO to secure capital.

2025-12-15T23:32:23.541621-08:00

airBaltic names Erno Hilden CEO as carrier grapples with delayed IPO and financial pressure

ch-aviation

Parent firm redeems bonds to avert Korean Air share dilution Parent company of Korean Air has redeemed bonds to avert an impending share dilution that would have arisen from bond conversion, preserving the airline's existing equity structure. The move removes the immediate threat of increased share issuance and keeps Korean Air's capital structure unchanged for now.

2025-12-15T17:24:18.213152-08:00

Parent firm redeems bonds to avert Korean Air share dilution

Bloomberg

❗️

FAA chief defends cuts at 40 major airports during shutdown, citing safety The FAA administrator will tell lawmakers that reducing scheduled flights across roughly 40 major U.S. airports during this year’s government shutdown was necessary to protect the flying public, defending the agency’s decision to throttle operations amid staffing and oversight constraints.

2025-12-15T17:03:36.706012-08:00

FAA chief defends cuts at 40 major airports during shutdown, citing safety

FlightGlobal

Republic names Matt Koscal CEO-designate for 2026 as Mesa integration continues Republic Airways Holdings has named Matt Koscal CEO-designate for 2026 and outlined a leadership transition plan as it advances integration of Mesa Air Group. The move formalizes succession planning while the combined carrier aligns operations and governance following its recent merger.

2025-12-15T16:21:34.537395-08:00

Republic names Matt Koscal CEO-designate for 2026 as Mesa integration continues

Air Data News

Air France marks fleet milestone with 50th A220 and 40th A350 as renewal accelerates Air France has taken delivery of its 50th Airbus A220 and its 40th A350, accelerating a long-term fleet modernization at Paris CDG. The newest arrivals — A220 “Valbonne” and A350 “Noirmoutier-en-L’Île” — cut noise footprint by up to 40% and support the carrier’s decarbonization push.

2025-12-15T14:01:00.644290-08:00

Air France marks fleet milestone with 50th A220 and 40th A350 as renewal accelerates

Create a free account to see more recent Airline Industry & Market Trends stories.