4 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Aviation

Wes Davis
Wes Davis
“We have planes all over the world that have issues that nobody has found.”

So said Cornell Beard, the president of a union chapter representing Wichita factory workers for Spirit AeroSystems, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Spirit makes fuselages for Boeing’s 737 Max planes, and according to people the Journal interviewed, the company overworks its employees and ignores safety issues — a problem that may have led to the Alaska Airlines mishap that saw a hole blown in a mid-flight plane earlier this month.

‘This Has Been Going on for Years.’ Inside Boeing’s Manufacturing Mess.

[WSJ]

Hyundai says its four-passenger eVTOL will be ready for 2028Hyundai says its four-passenger eVTOL will be ready for 2028
United Airlines says it found loose bolts while inspecting Boeing 737 Max 9 planesUnited Airlines says it found loose bolts while inspecting Boeing 737 Max 9 planes
Boeing 737 Max planes are grounded after a hole blew in one mid-flightBoeing 737 Max planes are grounded after a hole blew in one mid-flight
Wes Davis
Wes Davis
Airlines will have to fix their Boeing 737 Max 9 planes if they find defects, says the FAA.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a statement about the emergency airworthiness directive it sent to airlines today following what the directive termed a ‘rapid decompression’ of an Alaska Airlines flight on Friday.

Operators like Alaska will have to inspect “both left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components, and fasteners” and correct any problems they find before the planes can fly again (subject to FAA approval).

This iPhone fell out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282This iPhone fell out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282
Wes Davis
Wes Davis
Alaska Airlines has grounded its Boeing 737-9 Max fleet after “explosive” decompression.

The New York Times writes that Flight 1282 made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport 20 because a wall blew out. Thankfully, all 171 passengers survived.

In a statement yesterday, Alaska Airlines said it would inspect the 65 grounded planes over “the next few days.” Today, the airline updated the statement, saying it’s inspected over a quarter of the fleet and saw “no concerning findings.”

Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
Please enjoy some nightmare fuel.

Two planes collided on a runway in Japan. Only 11 people were injured on the larger plane— and hundreds managed to evacuate safely. How? Good engineering, and a good flight crew. On the smaller plane, five people died.

Near-misses have been on the rise in the US. Let’s hope this crash inspires some changes to our systems.

Why Everyone Didn’t Die in the Tokyo Airport Crash

[Intelligencer]

Wes Davis
Wes Davis
The DOJ wants to know how commercial airlines ended up with ‘thousands of bogus engine parts.’

Earlier this year, European regulators found that a London company called AOG Technics was using forged documents to sell thousands of uncertified engine parts that have been installed in older Airbus and Boeing jets.

Bloomberg reports that the US Department of Justice is now investigating the issue,

US Justice Department Joins Probe of Over Bogus Jet-Engine Parts

[Bloomberg]

Ford is testing drone deliveries at the derelict train station in Detroit it’s rehabbingFord is testing drone deliveries at the derelict train station in Detroit it’s rehabbing
Got $10 million? Then you’re probably someone who could afford this 30-rotor electric jetGot $10 million? Then you’re probably someone who could afford this 30-rotor electric jet
China cracks open the door to flying taxisChina cracks open the door to flying taxis
Google wants to be at the center of all your climate change decisionsGoogle wants to be at the center of all your climate change decisions
Wes Davis
Wes Davis
The Biden administration earmarks $292 million to reduce US airplane emissions.

The FAA has announced that applications for the Fueling Aviation’s Sustainable Transition (FAST) grants are now open. It’s offering $245 million in funding for sustainable aviation fuel production and other infrastructure projects. The administration also approved $47 million in FAST grants for low-emission aviation technology projects.

Both blocks of funding are part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. They’re supposed to “help aviation reach net-zero by 2050” as part of a goal Biden laid out by executive order in 2021. However, the UN recently said governments should move this goal forward by a decade.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $300 Million for Projects to Reduce Carbon Pollution from Aviation

[USDOT]

United Airlines briefly pauses all flights nationwide for ‘technology issue’United Airlines briefly pauses all flights nationwide for ‘technology issue’
Airline fears around 5G may finally be overAirline fears around 5G may finally be over
Wes Davis
Wes Davis
“I’m flying off the wing of something that’s making its own decisions. And it’s not a human brain.”

...said an Air Force pilot quoted in a story about the challenges and realities of the Air Force’s Skyborg AI wingman program in The New York Times today.

It’s not quite that fake story about an AI drone killing its handler to circumvent its directives, but this passage tells a similar story about surprising, if less problematic, AI problem-solving:

In early tests, the autonomous drones already have shown that they will act in unusual ways, with the Valkyrie in one case going into a series of rolls. At first, Major Elder thought something was off, but it turned out that the software had determined that its infrared sensors could get a clearer picture if it did continuous flips.

Now you can get food delivered to your gate at some of the biggest US airportsNow you can get food delivered to your gate at some of the biggest US airports
Rival air taxi startups Wisk and Archer settle their trade secret theft lawsuitRival air taxi startups Wisk and Archer settle their trade secret theft lawsuit
Google is helping pilots route flights to create fewer contrails, which is better for the climateGoogle is helping pilots route flights to create fewer contrails, which is better for the climate
Google hands over its tool for estimating flight emissions to an independent advisory groupGoogle hands over its tool for estimating flight emissions to an independent advisory group
The TSA will use facial recognition in over 400 airportsThe TSA will use facial recognition in over 400 airports
An upcoming 5G deadline could cause airline delays starting July 1stAn upcoming 5G deadline could cause airline delays starting July 1st
Wes Davis
Wes Davis
NASA’s electric plane project has been grounded.

In October 2021, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told The Verge in an interview that NASA was “getting ready to fly” the electric X-57. Unfortunately it never will, reports Popular Science:

NASA said today in a conference call with reporters that it would not ever be flying its experimental electric aircraft, the X-57, citing safety concerns that are insurmountable with the time and budget they have for the project. The X-57 program will wind down without the aircraft ever going up into the sky.

NASA said the fix would take too long to implement, but says the project’s game-changing lessons “have contributed to the industry.” The agency is currently working with Boeing on a more fuel-efficient aircraft design.

NASA kills its electric plane's flight plan, citing safety concerns

[Popular Science]

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Boeing acquires autonomous air taxi startup Wisk.

This was probably inevitable after Kitty Hawk, the ambitious “flying car” startup funded by Google co-founder Larry Page, shut down last year. Wisk was formed in 2019 as a joint venture with Kitty Hawk and aerospace giant Boeing, so without Kitty Hawk, Boeing had the choice to either cut off funding for Wisk completely or acquire the startup. It went with option B.

Boeing takes Wisk fully under its wing

[The Air Current]

The airline system is melting down, so maybe we could at least get paidThe airline system is melting down, so maybe we could at least get paid
Southwest delayed hundreds of departures Tuesday due to a networking glitchSouthwest delayed hundreds of departures Tuesday due to a networking glitch
Elon Musk says SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft is ready to launch soonElon Musk says SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft is ready to launch soon
Google Flights’ price guarantee could pay you back if your tickets get cheaperGoogle Flights’ price guarantee could pay you back if your tickets get cheaper
Microsoft Flight Simulator tricked me into getting a pilot’s license

Flight simulator interfaces are shockingly realistic. But flying is really all about what these simulators can’t ever replicate.

Daniel Oberhaus
Delta Air Lines lays out its plan to leave fossil fuels behindDelta Air Lines lays out its plan to leave fossil fuels behind
Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
“This is the nightmare scenario in American aviation.”

This breakdown of a near-collision between two planes in Austin is a hair-raising read. It is also a narrowly-averted disaster that has been predicted for the last 20 years.

Let’s prevent the next mass casualty event now, okay? Safety is a system, and the Austin airport needs better gear for flying in low visibility.

‘As bad as it gets without body bags.’

[fallows.substack.com]

We can’t afford to offset our aviation emissionsWe can’t afford to offset our aviation emissions
NASA is working on a new, more fuel-efficient aircraft design with BoeingNASA is working on a new, more fuel-efficient aircraft design with Boeing
Airbus is testing out autonomous flying tech in some of its planesAirbus is testing out autonomous flying tech in some of its planes
An FAA computer glitch grounded flights across the USAn FAA computer glitch grounded flights across the US
Stellantis will mass-produce Archer’s electric air taxi as part of $150 million dealStellantis will mass-produce Archer’s electric air taxi as part of $150 million deal
Monica Chin
Monica Chin
If you’re supposed to be flying today, I’m very sorry.

Reuters reports that a whopping 3,900 US flights have been canceled today. That’s in addition to “nearly 2,700” flights that were supposed to take off yesterday.

Frustrated holiday travelers can thank severe winter weather conditions, which are currently moving through the midwest towards the northeast. Delays are likely “from Boston to D.C. Metropolitan area airports, Seattle-Tacoma and Portland International Airports and Aspen”, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said.

Airlines cancel 3,900 U.S. flights Friday as winter storm snarls travel

[Reuters]

JetBlue no longer plans to offset emissions from domestic flightsJetBlue no longer plans to offset emissions from domestic flights
World’s first test run of a hydrogen jet engine a successWorld’s first test run of a hydrogen jet engine a success

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