An American Airlines plane arriving at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport discontinued its landing, performing a go-around at an air traffic controller’s instruction to avoid getting too close to another aircraft departing from the same runway, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The maneuver involving American Flight 2246 from Boston happened about 8:20 a.m. Tuesday, less than two hours before Southwest Flight 2504 from Omaha, Nebraska, attempting to land at Chicago’s Midway Airport, was forced to climb back into the sky to avoid another aircraft crossing the runway. Southwest and American airlines both issued statements saying that their flights landed safely after their crews made precautionary go-around maneuvers. The Southwest pilots had to act quickly themselves to avoid the other plane while the incident at Reagan was more routine with pilots following the tower's instructions. Aviation experts said these kinds of moves are not entirely uncommon on commercial flights for various reasons, from bad weather to a deer walking on the runway. Pilots can execute a go-around maneuver without much notice from passengers if the plane is still flying high enough on its approach.<br/>
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Australia on Thursday approved Qatar Airways buying a 25% stake in Virgin Australia from U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital, posing a challenge for national flag carrier Qantas that has long dominated Australian air routes. Qatar Airways in October proposed to buy the minority stake for an undisclosed amount after the federal government in 2023 denied the Middle Eastern carrier's requests to fly additional services into Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the deal is expected to boost competition in the aviation sector and follows extensive talks by the government with industry, unions and other stakeholders. "My decision aligns with the advice of the Foreign Investment Review Board that this proposal is consistent with the national interest," Chalmers said in a statement. "I have approved this proposal subject to legally enforceable conditions that ensure Australian representation on Virgin's board and protection of its customer data." Australia's treasurer has the power to cancel any foreign investments if it is deemed a risk to national security. Virgin Australia CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the deal will "support continued growth in line with the market domestically, improve our ability to compete for key segments of the market and add momentum to our margin ambitions". Qantas on Thursday said its first-half profit surged 11% on the back of strong demand, and declared a special dividend for the first time in more than two decades.<br/>
Australia's Qantas Airways showered investors with its first post-pandemic ordinary dividend, and a special dividend, for the first time in a quarter of a century on Thursday. The airline reported strong demand across its budget and full-service operations. The flag carrier's shares soared as much as 8% to A$9.60, marking their biggest intraday gain since October 13, 2022. The stock was among the biggest gainers in the ASX 200 benchmark, which traded 0.6% higher as at 0047 GMT. It declared an interim dividend of 16.5 Australian cents per share, the first payout since it paid 13 cents in September 2019. A special dividend of 9.9 cents apiece was also announced for the first time since fiscal 2000. "Our financial strength means we are now in a position to pay our shareholders dividends for the first time in almost six years," Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said. "The return of the shareholder dividend was a strong signal to the market that Qantas may have finally turned the page after enduring a troubled post-COVID period," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. Qantas has strived to rebuild after the pandemic and fix its reputation after what was one of its most reputationally damaging years in 2023, which included a series of controversies about travel bookings and employee treatment. The group added 11 new and five used aircraft in the six months to December, and on Thursday announced cabin upgrades for 42 Boeing 737 aircraft to align them with incoming new aircraft cabins. Qantas expects its first ultra long-haul 'Project Sunrise' Airbus A350-1000 jet, designed for non-stop Sydney-London flights, in the second half of 2026.<br/>
Qantas has announced a cabin upgrade programme for more than half of its Boeing 737-800s, as part of wider fleet renewal plans that will also see the return to service of the airline’s last pair of stored Airbus A380s. The airline says 42 of its fleet of 75 737s will undergo a cabin overhaul, which will see new seats in business and economy classes, as well as larger overhead storage compartments. The 737s with refreshed cabins will enter service in 2027 and will be deployed across its domestic and short-haul networks. The announcement – made alongside the release of its half-year financial results – comes as the airline prepares to take delivery of its first A321XLR which will eventually replace the 737s. The first A321XLR (to be registered VH-OGA) will be delivered in June, says Qantas, two months later than previously disclosed. Still, Qantas notes that the 42 737s picked for the cabin overhaul are “scheduled to leave the Qantas fleet towards the end” of its ongoing fleet renewal programme. “As we bring more new aircraft into our fleet, we are also making our existing aircraft look and feel like new,” adds Qantas chief Vanessa Hudson. Qantas Group, which also comprises low-cost operator Jetstar, received 11 new aircraft in the six months ended 31 December 2024, including more A220s and A321LRs, which operate for Jetstar. Seven more narrowbody aircraft – including the first A321XLR – are expected to be delivered by end-June.<br/>
A ship that will hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has deployed to its Indian Ocean search zone, according to Malaysia's transport minister and ship tracking data, raising hopes of solving one of aviation's greatest mysteries. In December, Malaysia agreed to resume the search for the Boeing 777 that was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew when it vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Malaysia has not yet signed off on the contract to search the seabed for wreckage, however, casting uncertainty over whether a search has begun. U.S. exploration firm Ocean Infinity, which conducted the last search for the plane that ended in 2018, said it had no information to provide at this stage. Malaysia had not yet signed the contract with Ocean Infinity, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Tuesday, but he welcomed the company's "proactiveness" to deploy its ships to that area to begin the search. "Since Ocean Infinity already started to mobilise their ships, of course we welcome it because we have given the principle approval for the search to resume and just need to finalise the contract," Loke told a press conference. The search would not be open-ended, however, he warned.<br/>