Aviation Source
• Len Varley
IndiGo will end its interim widebody operation with Norse Atlantic in October, returning six leased 787-9s and suspending London Heathrow service before its own A350s arrive. The airline is also evaluating future, not-yet-launched Airbus and Boeing aircraft for its next major fleet order.
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IndiGo will end its interim widebody operation with Norse Atlantic in October, returning six leased 787-9s and suspending London Heathrow service before its own A350s arrive. The airline is also evaluating future, not-yet-launched Airbus and Boeing aircraft for its next major fleet order.
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SpaceX is positioning its Starfall capsule to address microgravity access and point-to-point cargo delivery while the company considers life after Falcon 9. Separately, Boeing says redesign work on CST-100 Starliner is progressing ahead of a potential 2026 cargo mission to the International Space Station.
The Government Accountability Office warns that the U.S. Air Force’s effort to modernize the B-52 Stratofortress has become a roughly $21 billion program facing cost growth and schedule risks, raising questions about execution of the bomber’s long-term upgrade plan.
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WestJet has begun parking Boeing 737 aircraft while it continues negotiations with flight attendants, citing the need to protect travelers and operations ahead of a possible strike. The move signals that labor talks have progressed to an operational disruption stage, despite the airline’s stated effort to reach a deal.
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India’s IndiGo will discontinue its widebody operations from Oct. 25 and end its ACMI agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways on Oct. 31, returning five Boeing 787-9s. The decision brings an early end to the budget carrier’s long-haul experiment after difficulties operating European routes.
Washington is seeking a major role in Ethiopia’s planned $12.5 billion Bishoftu International Airport, reportedly tying U.S. participation in the project to Ethiopian Airlines’ purchase of additional Boeing aircraft. The linkage could shape the airport’s financing, industrial partnerships and the carrier’s future fleet strategy.
Leaders of the Boeing engineering and technical employees’ union have endorsed two company-proposed four-year employment contracts, signaling optimism in negotiations. The agreements would replace the union’s current contracts, which are scheduled to expire in October, if approved through the remaining bargaining process.
NASA continues to assess flight opportunities for Starliner-1 as work with Boeing on the CST-100 vehicle advances. A NASA official characterized progress as “good” but declined to provide a target launch date, leaving the timing of the program’s next uncrewed mission unresolved.
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