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Hundreds of JetBlue passengers were put “out on the street like animals” after their flight home to Boston from Turks and Caicos was delayed by 24 hours by the airline, they claim. The airline did not provide any arrangements for the travelers, who say they were “traumatized” after being kicked out of the airport with their families on Saturday night. One passenger, Marty, told Boston 25 News: “To put people out on the streets like animals was definitely something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.” Marty said his children were exhausted after their flight was already delayed several hours on Saturday. He said it was extremely difficult to find a place to stay, as there were no hotel rooms available at such short notice that night. In a statement, JetBlue said the significant delay on the flight was caused by “heavy air traffic control congestion and extended holding” and apologized to those affected for the “frustrating situation.” “While the delay was created by circumstances beyond JetBlue’s control, we understand the impact this disruption had on our customers’ plans,” the statement said. The airline added that passengers were able to submit reimbursement requests for any “out-of-pocket expenses” during the delay and would be providing each customer with a $200 travel credit.<br/>

WestJet has apologized for after a Regina couple was detained by border security on trip to Las Vegas. Lorna Evans, along with her husband and several other passengers, walked off a direct WestJet flight from Regina to Las Vegas in December, but when they got off the plane they were greeted with locked doors and there were no staff members around to help. She said the group of passengers went through the wrong door when they were attempting to reach customs. “Our records indicate that upon arrival in Las Vegas, some guests exited through the wrong door, sounding the alarm,” a statement from WestJet noted. “Guests were redirected to proceed through the customs area.” But Evans said that was not the case. She said they didn’t hear an alarm, and they went through the door hoping to find the nearest border security agent to direct them through customs. Instead, she said a border security agent told them they had illegally crossed in the United States. “It was a terrifying experience that should have never happened,” Evans said. “WestJet staff should have stayed and completed their job that evening.”<br/>

AirBaltic will cancel a number of summer flights owing to inspection and maintenance delays from RTX-owned engine supplier Pratt and Whitney. The airline will cancel 19 routes and reduce flight frequency on 21 others, it said, adding that 4,670 flights will be cancelled in total. AirBaltic and other airlines operating Airbus planes with Pratt and Whitney engines, such as Wizz Air, have had to contend with grounded aircraft because of Pratt and Whitney's engine maintenance issues. British Airways amended some of its routes late last year because of delays to engine parts deliveries from Rolls-Royce.<br/>

EasyJet said it has become the world’s first airline to use a lower-weight paint method to reduce its planes’ fuel burn. The carrier is trialling a new approach which cuts the number of paint layers needed to create its orange and white livery. It said the system generates a “relatively modest” weight reduction of 27kg per plane, but it is part of “many incremental steps” to make its aircraft lighter, which decreases the amount of fuel they burn and, therefore, their carbon emissions. The method, developed with international company Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings, has been used on 38 easyJet planes so far. EasyJet predicted it will lead to an annual fuel saving of 1,296 tonnes once the fleet-wide rollout is completed by 2030. The airline’s director of sustainability, Lahiru Ranasinghe, said: “EasyJet is constantly exploring and developing innovative solutions to lower the impact of our operations. “While this forms a small part of a bigger strategy, formulating a new lightweight paint with our partners at Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings exemplifies how we’re assessing every single part of our operation to find efficiency gains to help us achieve this mission.”<br/>

An easyJet flight to London was forced to divert to Italy for an emergency landing after a teenage girl threatened cabin crew and tried to open the plane door, according to reports. Flight EZY8556 left Antalya, Turkey at 11.20pm local time on 27 December for a four-hour journey to London Gatwick, but just over two hours in it was diverted to Bari, Italy, data from FlightAware shows. A passenger who was on the flight claimed that the plane landed in Italy due to security reasons after a teenage girl caused chaos onboard. Nadine, 39, a passenger on the flight, told The Sun that “this 16-year-old was about four rows behind me and she was sitting next to a little girl who was about 10 started coughing and she told her to stop”. Story has details. The flight crew made the decision to land the plane early in Italy. In a statement to The Independent, easyJet said “Flight EZY8556 from Antalya to London Gatwick on 27 December diverted to Bari and was met by police after landing due to a passenger behaving disruptively onboard. “EasyJet’s cabin crew are trained to assess and evaluate all situations and acted quickly and appropriately to ensure that the safety of the flight and other passengers was not compromised at any time. Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s priority.” As the cause of the diversion was a disruptive passenger and was outside of the airline’s control, in line with regulations compensation is not due.<br/>

A Siberian Airlines plane, arriving from Moscow, skidded off the runway after landing in the Russian city of Norilsk, Anadolu Agency reported citing local authorities on Thursday. The Airbus A321 aircraft rolled off the runway while turning onto the taxiway at Alykel International Airport, according to a statement from the West Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office shared on Telegram. Norilsk, located in the Siberian Krasnoyarsk region, is over 2,800km east of Moscow. The statement noted that 79 passengers were aboard the aircraft, which has been temporarily grounded while an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident. "A reserve plane has been allocated to undertake the return flight to Moscow,” the statement added, indicating that the flight would depart at 3.30pm local time. No further details on casualties or the extent of damage to the plane were provided.<br/>

Police have raided Muan International Airport for the second day Friday over the deadly Jeju Air plane crash that killed 179 people. The Jeonnam Provincial Police were conducting search and seizure operations at the airport's office in southwest Korea as of early Friday to secure materials related to the plane crash. Police also sent about 30 investigators to search the Seoul office of Jeju Air and the Muan office of the Busan Regional Office of Aviation at 9 a.m. Thursday, before they completed the operation at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. the same day, respectively. Police were securing evidence related to the legitimacy of the airport's localizer, a concrete wall housing an antenna array located near the runway at the time, and the communication record between the control tower and the pilot shortly before the plane crash. They are also looking to secure the surveillance camera near the runway, and records related to the operation and maintenance of the aircraft in question. The search warrant was issued on charges of professional negligence resulting in death, officials said.<br/>

Amid growing concerns over Jeju Air's liquidity following a surge in booking cancellations after the Muan Airport tragedy, the airline dismissed such worries, asserting that there will be no issues with liquidity. "The number of cancellations since the incident has clearly been higher than before, but new bookings continue, although at a reduced rate," said Song Kyung-hoon, head of Jeju Air’s management support division, during a press briefing held in western Seoul on Thursday. Song also said that the airline's large-scale investment plans are expected to "proceed without delay" as the costs for new aircraft acquisitions have already been prepaid. However, industry experts speculate that Jeju Air will face increased pressure on cash flows due to refund payments and the impact of a potential boycott. As of Thursday, Jeju Air’s advance receipts amounted to 260.6b won ($196m), the largest among domestic low-cost carriers, according to regulatory filings. This is 41.6% higher than the 184.3b won held by the nation's No. 2 LCC, T’way Air. Most of the amount consists of ticket payments collected during reservations. On Sunday and Monday, some 68,000 Jeju Air flight cancellations were reported, with the majority occurring after 9 a.m. on Sunday, when the disaster took place. Jeju Air officially said it would offer full refunds for all reservations made through Sunday and waive cancellation fees for all routes. Since the company is required to issue full cash refunds without any cancellation fees or voucher replacements, this is expected to put further stress on its cash flows. Jeju Air’s financial stability was already under strain.<br/>

A pilot with seven years of experience at Muan International Airport testified that he had never been informed about the existence of a concrete mound housing a localizer (instrument landing system) on the runway, nor had he been able to distinguish it from a dirt pile. The concrete structure is believed to have significantly exacerbated the accident's severity, as the aircraft's collision with the solid mound during its belly landing is thought to have triggered the catastrophic explosion. The pilot and flight instructor, who has used Muan Airport for seven years, told Yonhap News on Thursday, "I’ve seen the mound from the air during countless takeoffs and landings and assumed it was a dirt pile. It never occurred to me that it was made of concrete." He said, "There was no indication in the airport charts or separate guidance mentioning that the mound was a 2-meter-high, 4-meter-thick concrete structure. Other pilots were also unaware of its true nature." He also addressed the bird strike issue, which has been suggested as a possible cause of the accident. He said pilots regularly monitor bird activity using the Airport Terminal Information Service. "In my experience, bird strikes happen roughly once a year, typically affecting the wings. We always check weather conditions via frequency transmissions, and Muan airport has been issuing daily bird activity advisories lately, with air traffic controllers notifying us if birds are on the runway," he said.<br/>

A heart-wrenching video showing the final moments of the pilot during the Jeju Air crash has surfaced online, evoking both sorrow and admiration for the pilot’s efforts in the face of what ultimately became a major aviation tragedy. The footage captures what appears to be the pilot extending his hand toward the cockpit’s overhead panel moments before the aircraft collided with a localizer structure, a critical navigation aid. A post titled "The Pilot’s Last Moments" circulated widely online, with the author saying, "Until the very last second, his hand reached out to the cockpit panel. I believe he did his utmost." The accompanying video shows a shadowy figure, presumed to be the pilot, reaching for the panel. While the identity of the figure in the video remains unconfirmed, many online commenters expressed their belief that the pilot made a valiant attempt to minimize the disaster. The video has struck an emotional chord with viewers. Comments flooded forums, with many sympathizing with the immense fear and desperation the pilot must have felt. "He managed a difficult belly landing perfectly, only to face a sudden concrete wall. Imagining his thoughts in those final moments brings tears to my eyes," one user wrote. Another said, "Seeing the wall approach while the plane continued forward ... the fear and helplessness must have been unimaginable."<br/>