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The development of the modern commercial aviation industry has resulted in the world becoming an increasingly connected place that, owing to the increased ease of travel across the globe, somehow feels a little bit smaller than before. A key reason for this has been the development of major airline alliances, with these groups seeing major carriers team up to provide integrated ticketing solutions. The main benefit of this, from a passenger perspective, is the fact that you can book multi-leg itineraries that, despite the flights being operated by different airlines, have protected connections, offering travelers convenience and peace of mind. Today, the airline industry is dominated by three alliances, with the oldest of these also being the largest. Let's take a closer look at its history and development. The first of these three to come into existence was the Star Alliance, which was founded in May 1997. The group came into existence through a collaboration between five airlines, all of whom, as Travel & Leisure notes, remained part of the team until recently. This was not the case at oneworld, with founding member Canadian Airlines having ceased operations shortly after that alliance was founded.The Star Alliance's founding members came from Asia, Europe, and North America, with the carriers in question being Air Canada, Lufthansa, SAS, Thai Airways, and United Airlines. As pictured above, one of the group's early branding campaigns featured a Lufthansa Airbus A340-200 painted in a livery combining all of their paint schemes, as well as Varig (who joined in October 1997). According to the Star Alliance website, the group was founded "as the first global aviation alliance, (...) dedicated to international travel innovation and providing customers a seamless journey." One of the company's reported ambitions at the time of its founding was to eventually build an alliance-wide network that would give aerial access to every major city on the planet for its passengers. Story has more.<br/>

A United Airlines passenger jet struck a coyote on the runway during take-off in Chicago, forcing the flight to return to O'Hare International Airport to have the landing gear examined. None of the 167 passengers or six crew members aboard the Boeing 737 MAX 9 were injured in the incident on Sunday (Monday NZT), which forced the Phoenix-bound United Flight 1727 to make a swift return. “We arranged for another plane to take our customers to their destination later that afternoon,” the airline said. The FAA is investigating, saying on Thursday that the crew initially reported that the plane had struck a bird. Collisions between aircraft and wildlife are a growing concern for aviation safety, according to the FAA. The FAA said that between 1988 and 2023 wildlife strikes with civilian and military aircraft killed more than 491 people and destroyed more than 350 aircraft across the globe. In the United States, wildlife strikes with civilian and military aircraft killed 76 people and destroyed 126 aircraft between 1988-2023. Most collisions involve birds, but between 1990-2023 there were 882 reported civilian aircraft strikes with coyotes and 1301 with white-tailed deer in the US, according to the FAA.\<br/>

Lufthansa Group is set to resume flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel from Feb. 1 and Wizz Air restarted its London to Tel Aviv route on Thursday, the companies said following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Many Western carriers cancelled flights to swaths of the Middle East in recent months, including Beirut and Tel Aviv, as conflict tore across the region. Airlines also avoided Iraqi and Iranian airspace out of fear of getting accidentally caught in drone or missile warfare. Wizz Air also resumed flights to Amman, Jordan starting on Thursday from London Luton airport. Lufthansa Group carriers Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines and Swiss were included in Lufthansa's decision to resume flights to Tel Aviv. Ryanair said it was hoping to run a full summer schedule to and from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv in an interview with Reuters last week, before the ceasefire deal was announced. In the wake of the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, Turkish Airlines said it would start flights to Damascus, the Syrian capital, on Jan. 23, with three flights per week. But airlines remain cautious and watchful before re-entering the region in full, they said. British carrier EasyJet told Reuters it welcomed the news of the Gaza ceasefire and would review its plans in the coming days.<br/>

Austrian Airlines says it may have to defer the retirement of its three remaining B767-300ERs due to B787-9 delivery delays. The airline had planned to end its B767 operations at the end of this year and make the B787 the focus of its long-haul fleet. However, Boeing's ongoing challenges are forcing a rethink at the carrier. "According to the current status, the introduction of additional B787-9 aircraft may be delayed," an Austrian Airlines spokesperson told ch-aviation. "For this reason, an extension of the B767's service is currently being considered to have a backup in case the arrival of the additional B787 aircraft is indeed delayed."<br/>

Air Incheon Co., a cargo specialist airline, is poised to become the second-largest air cargo operator in South Korea, following Korean Air Lines Co., with the acquisition of Asiana Airlines Inc.'s cargo division. Air Incheon announced on Thursday that it has signed a deal with Asiana Airlines for the acquisition of its cargo division. The sale involves separating Asiana's cargo business and merging it with Air Incheon. The deal will be finalized once Air Incheon completes a capital increase and pays 470b won ($322.5m) to Asiana Airlines by the end of June. The sale of Asiana's cargo division is a key condition set by the European Commission for approving the merger of Korean Air and Asiana Airlines. In June last year, Asiana Airlines selected Air Incheon as the preferred negotiator for the sale. Following the acquisition, Air Incheon will add 11 Asiana Airlines cargo aircraft to its existing fleet of 4, bringing its total fleet to 15.<br/>

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has renewed its title sponsorship of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix for another four years till 2028, the national carrier announced on Jan 16. SIA’s partnership with the iconic night race began in 2014 and this was extended in 2018 and 2020 for two years respectively, and another three years in 2022. The airline’s initial partnership was believed to be worth between $10m and $15m annually, and reportedly $10m a year for the next two years. The value of the later terms is not known. The latest extension of the sponsorship will flag off during the Oct 3 to 5 race weekend at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. SIA CCO Lee Lik Hsin said in a statement: “The Singapore Grand Prix is an important event in Singapore’s sporting and tourism calendar. It has become iconic not just for showcasing our beautiful skyline, but also for highlighting Singapore’s position as a key global hub. “This extension underscores Singapore Airlines’ longstanding commitment to supporting the development of sports and tourism in Singapore.”<br/>