Latest Aviation Headlines

All the headlines from our Aviation Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Commercial Airplane Crash Deaths Drop by More than 50% in 2019: Aviation Consultant

Jan 2 2020 // The number of people killed in large commercial airplane crashes fell by more than 50% in 2019 despite a high-profile Boeing 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia in March, a Dutch consulting firm said on Wednesday. Aviation...

Women Sue Frontier Airlines in Colorado Over Sex Assaults by Passengers

Jan 2 2020 // Two women who say they were sexually assaulted by passengers on Frontier Airlines flights sued the Denver-based budget carrier for allegedly refusing to help them and either not having or failing to follow policies to...

Helicopter Tours Criticized After Deadly Hawaii Crash

Dec 31 2019 // Tour helicopter operations in Hawaii are under increased scrutiny after a deadly crash this week, one of several recent accidents in the state, with a congressman calling the trips unsafe and lacking proper oversight. A...

Court Says Airline’s Workers at Newark Airport Can’t Sue as Class in Pay Dispute

Dec 31 2019 // American Airlines workers at Newark’s airport who claim in a lawsuit they’ve been shorted on overtime pay can’t sue as a class, a federal appeals court ruled this week. The three-judge panel’s...

Blast at Beechcraft Plant in Kansas Injures More Than a Dozen People

Dec 30 2019 // More than a dozen people were injured on Dec. 27 when a nitrogen line ruptured at the Beechcraft aircraft manufacturing facility in Wichita, Kansas, causing part of the building to collapse, authorities said. Daniel...

Agriculture, Aviation Woes Cited for Lag in Personal Income Growth in Kansas

Dec 27 2019 // Personal income growth in Kansas is below the national average largely because of troubles in agriculture. Kansas farmers face an expanding drought and low commodity prices, though a break in an ongoing tariff dispute may...

Congress, FAA Reviewing ‘Disturbing’ Boeing Employee Communications on Safety

Dec 27 2019 // Boeing Co. documents under review by a U.S. congressional panel appear to point to a “very disturbing” picture of commentary from the planemaker’s employees over the grounded 737 MAX aircraft, a...

Plane Operated by Bek Air Crashes in Kazakhstan, Killing 12, Injuring Dozens

Dec 27 2019 // A passenger plane carrying nearly 100 people crashed near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on Friday after take off, slamming into a house in an accident that killed 12 people and injured dozens. The Fokker 100 aircraft,...

United Airlines Settles Sexual Harassment Claim Over Explicit Internet Posts by Captain

Dec 27 2019 // United Airlines has agreed to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit over a captain who continued to post explicit images of a flight attendant online without her consent even after the attendant complained. The airline will...

Long-Awaited U.S. Drone Safety Rules Call for Extensive Tracking Network

Dec 26 2019 // All but the smallest civilian drones would have to broadcast radio tracking data to ensure greater safety and prevent terrorism under a sweeping proposal unveiled by U.S. regulators Thursday. The long-awaited draft rules...

Sirius Expands Facultative Cover, Tapping Underwriters from Asia Capital Re

Dec 24 2019 // Bermuda-based Sirius International Insurance Group Ltd. announced it is expanding its facultative product offerings in the Asian region to better service its clients, beginning in early 2020. Through its office in...

United Airlines Settles Sexual Harassment Suit Filed in Texas for $321K

Dec 23 2019 // United Airlines Inc., a Chicago-headquartered international airline operating in over 300 airports across five continents, has agreed to pay $321,000, plus attorney’s fees, to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed...

Cyber Attack Forces Airline to Cancel Flights in Alaska

Dec 23 2019 // RavnAir canceled at least a half-dozen flights in Alaska on Saturday – at the peak of holiday travel – following what the company described as “a malicious cyber attack” on its computer network. The...

U.S. Law Firms ‘Hounded’ Relatives of Ethiopian Airlines’ Crash Victims

Dec 23 2019 // Days after the March 10 crash of a Kenya-bound Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing jet that killed all 157 people on board, strangers began calling or visiting bereaved families, saying they represented U.S. law firms. They...

Airlines Liable for Hot Drink Burns During Flights, EU Court Rules

Dec 19 2019 // Airlines are liable for a hot drink accidentally spilled and hurting a passenger, the European Union’s top court said in a dispute involving a carrier founded by the late-Formula One motor-racing champion Niki...

Starr Taps Swiss Re’s Nawrath as Underwriting Chief for New Aviation Unit in Germany

Dec 18 2019 // Starr Insurance Cos. announced the appointment of Carsten Nawrath as Aviation underwriting manager, leading the build-out of a new Aviation insurance operation based in Munich, Germany. The operation will write aerospace...

Irish Plane Lessor Seeks $185M from Boeing for 737 MAX-Related Losses

Dec 18 2019 // An Ireland-based plane lessor sued Boeing Co. on Tuesday for breaching a contract for 22 of the U.S. planemaker’s 737 MAX aircraft and sought a compensation of $185 million. Timaero Ireland Ltd. cited design flaws in...

New York Doors-Off Helicopter Ride Raised Concern Months Before Crash

Dec 12 2019 // A government safety inspector who saw a popular New York City, doors-off sightseeing helicopter flight operation six months before a fatal 2018 crash called it “unorthodox,” but officials thought they had no...

Boeing 737 MAX Planes to Remain Grounded Rest of This Year: FAA

Dec 11 2019 // Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) chief Steve Dickson confirmed Wednesday the agency will not allow Boeing Co.’s grounded 737 MAX, involved in two fatal crashes in five months, to resume flying before the end of...

Typhoon Kammuri Hits Philippines, Killing at Least 3, Displacing 500,000 More

Dec 3 2019 // The Philippines reopened its main airport late Tuesday as Typhoon Kammuri heads to the South China Sea, leaving at least three people dead and displacing half a million more. Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s...