Airlines in the United States have canceled or delayed thousands of flights on Thursday, as a strengthening hurricane Helene is expected to make a landfall in the Florida big bend this evening. A total of 1,038 flights were canceled and 1,672 delayed as of 11:59 A.M. ET, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. Southwest Airlines has canceled 201 flights, the most among the carriers, closely followed by American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Officials have issued dire warnings and urged residents in coastal areas along the hurricane's path to evacuate ahead of catastrophic winds and a potentially deadly storm surge. Airports across impacted regions such as Tampa International, Orlando International and Fort Lauderdale International have also put out posts on X warning travelers of potential delays or cancellations.<br/>
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At least four people are dead and dozens of flights and trains have been cancelled after heavy rainfall flooded the streets of Mumbai this week, prompting a red alert. Some parts of India’s financial hub of 21m people received over 250mm of rain, nearly five times London’s monthly rainfall,in just six hours on Wednesday. It was the highest single-day rainfall in September since 2020, according to the India Meteorological Department. At least four people died in rain-related incidents. A woman drowned in an open drain and two labourers were killed by lightning in Kalyan. Another woman reportedly drowned near a waterfall in Khopoli, about 80km from Mumbai. Operations at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj airport were severely affected, with at least 36 flights cancelled, causing delays and disruptions for thousands of travellers. Airlines including SpiceJet, IndiGo and Vistara said they were diverting flights due to the adverse weather.<br/>
The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday issued a safety alert and recommendations for some Boeing planes, warning that a defect could cause the rudder control system that helps steer the aircraft to jam. The warning applies to some of the company’s 737 Max and 737NG jets. It stems from the agency’s investigation into a United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 that experienced “stuck” rudder pedals while landing at Newark Liberty International Airport in February. The safety board said it had been notified that more than 350 of the defective parts were delivered to Boeing, but it was not immediately clear how many planes with the affected component might be in service. The Federal Aviation Administration said it believed United was the only U.S. operator that had the faulty parts, and United said it had removed the components from its nine affected planes. The safety board urged the F.A.A. to determine whether the faulty parts should be removed from service and, if so, to mandate that U.S. operators replace them. It also recommended informing international aviation regulators to encourage similar actions. The F.A.A. said in a statement that it had “been monitoring this situation closely” and would convene a panel to determine its next steps. The warning adds to a string of safety woes for Boeing, which is already under intense scrutiny from regulators after incidents including a panel that blew off a jet midair this year. An audit conducted by the F.A.A. after that incident found dozens of problems throughout the 737 Max’s manufacturing process. The safety board opened its investigation into the rudder control issue on Feb. 6, after the captain of a 737 Max 8 had to use the nose wheel steering tiller to maintain control of the plane when the rudder pedal became stuck while landing at Newark. A plane’s rudder control is primarily used on takeoff and landing to maintain the direction of the plane’s nose. After the incident, the board tested a rudder control component known as the rollout guidance actuator from the aircraft and found that the functionality of the part, produced by Collins Aerospace, was “significantly compromised.” The company determined that a sealed bearing was improperly assembled during production, leaving it susceptible to moisture, which can freeze and impede the rudder system’s movements.<br/>
The union representing Boeing’s striking factory workers in the Pacific Northwest says it expects to resume negotiations with the company on Friday. A regional district of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said the two sides would meet alongside federal mediators. They last held formal negotiations more than a week ago, when two days of mediated sessions broke off. “The union is ready for this opportunity to bring forward the issues that members have identified as critical to reaching an agreement,” District 751 of the machinists’ union said. “We know that the only way to resolve this strike is through negotiations.” Boeing confirmed Friday’s talks, which would represent progress after the aerospace giant angered union leaders on Monday by announcing a revised contract to its 33,000 striking workers through the media and setting a Friday night deadline for ratification. Boeing’s “best and final” offer included pay raises of 30% over four years, up from 25% in a deal that union members overwhelmingly rejected when they voted to strike two weeks ago. The union originally demanded 40% over three years.<br/>
Spirit AeroSystems is reviewing its contingency plans regarding furloughs, a company spokesperson said on Thursday, adding that the key supplier of Boeing has not yet made a decision. The planning by the financially struggling Wichita, Kansas-based aerostructures giant follows a strike by more than 32,000 U.S. West Coast Boeing workers that is now spilling over into the planemaker's supply chain. Boeing and its largest union will resume contract talks on Friday in a bid to end a strike that has throttled plane production and hammered the finances of the aerospace giant. Boeing workers in the Seattle area and Portland, Oregon, walked off the job on Sept. 13 in the union's first strike since 2008, halting production of airplane models including Boeing's best-selling 737 MAX. Spirit produces the fuselage for Boeing's MAX. "We're reviewing our contingency plans regarding furloughs. No decisions have been made at this time," Spirit spokesperson Joe Buccino said. Buccino added that Spirit was evaluating "a variety of possible actions all aimed at protecting the future of our company."<br/>
Airbus deliveries are closing September at a slower pace than a year ago, raising increased questions over the European planemaker's ability to hit a revised annual target, analysts and industry sources said. In July, Airbus issued a profit warning and lowered its full-year delivery target to 770 aircraft from 800, blaming shortages of engines and other items. It pushed back an underlying medium-term production goal by a year to 2027. Delays in deliveries and the ramp-up in production of core narrowbody jets have triggered growing impatience inside Airbus, with CE Guillaume Faury voicing frustration over broadly flat production, people familiar with the company said. Airbus has delivered around 30 aircraft to date in September, bringing the total so far this year to some 477, data provided to Reuters by consultancy Cirium Ascend showed.<br/>
Asia’s rapidly expanding airlines may face long waits to have their aircraft repaired and maintained amid surging demand, one of the region’s fastest-growing jet maintenance, repair and operations firms has warned. “Our orderbook is filled through the end of next year,” Asia Digital Engineering Chief Executive Officer Mahesh Kumar said in an interview at the company’s brand-new 14-bay aircraft hangar at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday. The shortage of maintenance facilities and qualified staff across Asia presents an additional challenge to the aviation industry at a time when airlines are already struggling with heightened scrutiny over jet maintenance amid massive delays in new plane deliveries. Rising competition in the regional aircraft-repair market for new business and staff is also complicating the landscape. Formed during the pandemic as a subsidiary of AirAsia’s Capital A Bhd., ADE has tapped into increasing regional demand for aircraft maintenance to grow from a single bay to its current facility with space for 16 jets. It now employs over 1,500 people. The company’s emergence has exacerbated the battle to recruit and retain talent among established rivals such as SIA Engineering Co., GE Aerospace and Malaysia Airlines’ MAB Engineering Services. SIAEC, the aircraft maintenance arm of Singapore Airlines, sparked concerns of workforce poaching when it expanded operations in Malaysia earlier this year. Malaysia Airlines lost about 15% of its engineering staff over the first few months of 2024, which authorities later said contributed to severe flight disruptions at the country’s national carrier that forced it to temporarily cut its schedule by 20%.<br/>
In the decades since the second world war, while nearly every other aspect of commercial aviation has been transformed, the basic aircraft design of a tube with wings has remained stubbornly unchanged. But, by the end of the decade, a radically different shaped plane could be taking to the skies above California. US start-up JetZero and its backers hope the new aircraft will be the future of commercial aviation and offer a way to slash carbon emissions. The eye-catching design — which borrows from the “blended wing” appearance of stealth bombers — has attracted interest from airlines on both sides of the Atlantic. JetZero’s design is one of multiple technologies being developed to try to help airlines reach the industry’s goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The net zero target is based on the mass take-up of new and cleaner sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). But aerospace companies are also working on electric batteries and hydrogen-powered aircraft to try to cut emissions. The stakes are high, with tighter regulation and the looming threat of taxes on flying. Aviation is currently responsible for 2 to 3% of global CO₂ emissions, but that figure is expected to rise as other industries cut their emissions more quickly. This week, global airline lobby group Iata estimated that the average annual investment in SAFs and other technology that would be required to reach net zero would be $128bn a year. It insisted this was “feasible”, but only with more government support.<br/>
It’s 3am at the VIP airport terminal of Dubai’s Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub and an ultra-long range aircraft is readying for take-off. The luxury, 14-seat private jet is headed for Europe, just as soon as its main passenger and his entourage arrive. For this ultra-high net worth individual and others like him, it’s a run of the mill commute. And with money no object, it will be curated to his every wish — from the high thread-count bedding on board to the ready-to-eat Big Mac meal he expects upon fastening his seatbelt. “Everywhere in the world, wherever he flies from … McDonald’s and KFC have to be on board … it has to be both,” said Lilit Avetikyan, CEO and founder of recently launched private jet company Voyex. For the Dubai-based private aviation industry veteran, catering to the unique requests of multi-millionaire clients is just part of the “360-degree” luxury lifestyle service she offers, whether that’s fast-food favourites, tickets to the Oscars, or a customized mystery holiday. It’s an elite club that enjoys private jet travel, which can cost anywhere from $50,000 to $200,000-plus for a single leg. As a broker for premium private charter flights, Voyex boasts access to a network of more than 20,000 aircraft around the world that can be called on and ready for take-off in hours. “There are actually two very exclusive aircraft that we have very special access to, for only ultra-high net worth individuals (like) royal families or governments … those are like small villas in the air,” said Avetikyan.<br/>