Divers

🛩 Southwest Airlines plans to commercially debut the Boeing 737 MAX 7 in early 2027, following its expected certification in summer 2026. CEO Bob Jordan confirmed this, noting reliance on information from Boeing. The MAX 7, delayed by regulatory issues, currently has about 300 firm orders worldwide, with Southwest holding over half. Boeing's 737 MAX 10 faces similar delays, with Ryanair anticipating the first 15 units by spring 2027.

✈️ Vueling expands in 2025, adding direct flights from Barcelona to Ljubljana, Agadir, and Strasbourg. United Airlines announces a 2026 route from Newark to Santiago de Compostela and boosts New York-Palma capacity by over 50%. Air Europa launches Madrid-Rovaniemi and Madrid-Istanbul flights. Iberia introduces Madrid-Orlando, Recife, and Fortaleza routes, enhancing US and Brazil connections. EasyJet strengthens links from Spain to Switzerland, France, the UK, enhancing Canary Islands connectivity.

✈️ American Airlines recibió su primer A321XLR esta semana en Dallas desde la fábrica de Airbus en Hamburgo. Es la primera aerolínea estadounidense en obtener este modelo. La entrega oficial fue en julio, pero el avión estuvo en la República Checa por trabajos en la cabina. Forma parte de un pedido de 50 unidades. Ahora en EE.UU., American Airlines procederá con la certificación y pruebas finales antes de su servicio.

✈️ Boeing, in 2025, sold nearly 200 more aircraft than Airbus. In 2026, Boeing aims to surpass Airbus in manufacturing, increasing monthly 737 production from 38 to 42 by year-end, with plans for 47, reaching 53 monthly in 2026. Airbus faces production issues, with approximately 670 aircraft made in 2025. Boeing's progress is subject to FAA scrutiny, needing extra safety certifications for models, including the Max 10, Max 7, and 777X.

🛩 Wizz Air, following its Abu Dhabi closure, reallocates resources to expand in Italy. Currently targeting Fiumicino, Malpensa, Venice, Pisa, Turin, Alghero, and Lamezia. Competing with EasyJet and Ryanair, Wizz Air introduces summer-only routes: Rome-Menorca (3x a week) and Malpensa-Mallorca. Daily Roma-Malta flights are also planned. The Eastern European market's growth cap and competitive operating costs drive these strategic moves.

✈️ Aer Lingus' A321XLR landed at London Heathrow on December 13 with a force of 3.3G, exceeding the typical 1.1 to 1.4G landing intensity and surpassing the 2G certification threshold for commercial planes. Inspections are underway, with the aircraft grounded for weeks awaiting structural analysis results, likely needing landing gear replacement. Weather conditions contributed to the incident. In 1990, Aviaco's DC9 suffered unnoticeable severe damage in Menorca, leading to its decommissioning after a return flight.

✈️ Air Europa will launch its first flight from Madrid to Johannesburg on June 24, 2026, with three weekly Boeing 787 Dreamliner services. In 2026, new routes will also include Marrakech, Tunis, Tangier, and Geneva. These routes mark the airline's expansion after Iberia ceased its Johannesburg route in 2019 due to low profitability. Air Europa's African expansion complements increased European flights and domestic network growth planned for 2026.

🚀 SpaceX's experimental rocket exploded on January 16, 2025, risking 450 people aboard three planes from Iberia, JetBlue, and a private jet over the Caribbean. Debris fell for about 50 minutes, prompting emergency zones and fuel emergencies. Communication failures delayed alerts, forcing crews to make critical decisions. Iberia and JetBlue reported minimal impact, while SpaceX claimed no danger, pledging to improve future incident management with the FAA.

✈ Este martes 23 de diciembre, una huelga de cinco jornadas comenzó en South Europe Ground Services de Iberia, en el aeropuerto de Barajas. Los paros (8:00-12:00 y 18:00-22:00) continuarán el 26 y 30 de diciembre, y el 2 y 7 de enero. Iberia ofrece cambios de fecha o bonos para vuelos cancelados. La huelga afecta a Iberia, Iberia Express, Vueling, British Airways, y otros. Servicios mínimos: 77% para islas, 56% para vuelos de más de 500 km.

✈ Ávoris partners with Ryanair to expand Travelplan's international offerings, leveraging Ryanair's network of 250 European and North African airports. The initial phase covers international flights, with future plans to add domestic routes like the Canary and Balearic Islands. This mirrors Viajes El Corte Inglés' similar 2024 agreement, enhancing Ryanair’s strategy in Morocco, where it struggles with low occupancy rates. Viajes El Corte Inglés first partnered with Ryanair in March 2024.