A flight from Minneapolis to Mexico on Wednesday had to be diverted to El Paso due to a “security concern,” drawing a response from the FBI. Sun Country Airlines Flight 593 was forced to make an unscheduled stop in El Paso, near the US-Mexico border. The plane reportedly landed without incident, according to NBC News. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, was “diverted to El Paso out of an abundance of caution in response to a security concern,” according to a statement released by Sun County Airlines. All of the passengers exited the plane safely and were provided with overnight accommodations, the airline said. According to CBS News, which cited an unnamed source familiar with the situation, a passenger on the plane reportedly found a note threatening everyone on the flight. It was reportedly the note that forced the plan to land prematurely. "We are working with law enforcement to fully investigate the situation and assess the validity of the concern," Sun Country Airlines wrote. The FBI wrote in a statement on X that it was responding to a situation at the El Paso International Airport on Wednesday. “At approximately 4:15pm MST, FBI El Paso was notified by our partners at El Paso International Airport and the FBI’s National Threat Operation Center of a diverted airplane heading to El Paso, Texas, from Minneapolis,” FBI El Paso Special Agent in Charge John Morales said in a statement. The law enforcement office did say that its purpose at the site was to "assist our partners and ensure the safety of the passengers and the flight crew aboard the plane."<br/>
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Following its pattern of targeting secondary airports near metro centres, low-cost carrier Avelo Airlines has begun operating a new base at Charlotte Concord-Padgett Regional airport – the second in a trio of planned North Carolina bases. Avelo said on 6 March that ”Charlotte-Concord Airport is conveniently situated a short drive from downtown Charlotte and its suburbs” and provides an alternative to Charlotte Douglas International airport, the area’s largest hub. A pair of Boeing 737s will be stationed at Avelo’s new base at Concord, which the company says will create about 50 positions for pilots, flight attendants, maintenance workers and customer service staff. Houston-headquartered Avelo plans to fly to seven cities from Charlotte, with new service to Nashville and Daytona Beach, Florida scheduled to begin early next month. The Concord base comes in addition to Avelo’s existing North Carolina base at Raleigh-Durham International airport, and the discounter intends to complete the triad with another operational base at Wilmington International airport opening on 3 April. Since launching during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2021, Avelo’s network has grown to encompass 53 cities in the USA and Puerto Rico, as well as three international destinations in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico. It now leases a fleet of 20 737s. CE Andrew Levy recently told Airline Business that Avelo is on a path to sustained profitability and is eyeing a eyeing an initial public offering as soon as this year. “I think we’ll be public by the end of [2025]. If not… it’ll be the year that follows,” he said. <br/>
The Saudi Air Connectivity Program (ACP), in collaboration with the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) and Jeddah Airports Company (Jedco), announced on Tuesday the launch of direct flights from Stuttgart, Germany, to Jeddah. The flights will commence in the second half of 2025, operating twice a week using an A321neo aircraft with a capacity of 224 seats. This initiative aims to increase capacity for travellers and visitors from Europe and the US to Saudi Arabia. Saudi ACP CEO Majid Khan said the co-operation with Eurowings is making significant progress in strengthening air links between Saudi Arabia and Europe. Khan said it was looking at a long-term partnership with Eurowings to help expand the network of air routes in the coming years, providing new travel experiences for visitors and enabling them to explore Saudi Arabia’s historical and cultural landscapes. "ACP aims to drive tourism growth in Saudi Arabia by enhancing air links between the kingdom and global destinations. The programme works to develop existing and potential air routes while connecting Saudi Arabia to new international markets," he noted. <br/>
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is set to invest $100m in Malaysia's Capital A-owned budget airline AirAsia, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Middle East investment forms the majority of AirAsia's about 1b ringgit ($225.99m) fundraising target, with the firm also in discussions with potential investors from Singapore and Japan, the media report added. Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is set to invest $100m in Malaysia's Capital A-owned budget airline AirAsia, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Middle East investment forms the majority of AirAsia's about 1b ringgit ($225.99m) fundraising target, with the firm also in discussions with potential investors from Singapore and Japan, the media report added. Capital A is also offloading the budget carrier to long-haul unit AirAsia X to consolidate the operations under a single AirAsia brand.<br/>
Israir Airlines has filed an application with the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) seeking a foreign air carrier permit to resume scheduled flights between Tel Aviv and New York, marking the carrier’s return to the U.S. market after a 16-year hiatus. The move comes as part of efforts to address an ongoing capacity shortfall on routes between Israel and the U.S., where available seats remain about 42% lower than two years ago, prior to the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in October 2023. According to the application, the Israeli airline plans to launch six weekly nonstop roundtrips between Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International Airport and the New York region starting July 1. The route will be operated using Airbus A330-200 aircraft. In addition to scheduled passenger service, Israir plans to operate charter flights under the U.S.-Israel Air Transport Agreement. The airline last served the U.S. market in 2009 before suspending operations due to “market conditions” at the time.<br/>
AirAsia is to axe its operations from Kuala Lumpur’s Subang airport, dealing a blow to plans to rejuvenate the city airport. The low-cost operator on 6 March said it will be relocating domestic flights to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching – its only two routes from Subang airport – to its Kuala Lumpur international airport (KLIA) hub from 7 April. It adds that the move “is aimed at optimising operations amid growing demand and enhancing the overall guest experience”. AirAsia in August 2024 resumed operations at Subang airport after more than 20 years, launching twice-daily flights to Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in east Malaysia. It was among a bevy of airlines that began jet operations from the airport, which is located nearer to Kuala Lumpur than KLIA. At the time, the resumption of jet operations at Subang had been hailed as a key milestone in government plans to rejuvenate the airport. “AirAsia has closely assessed passenger trends and operational needs, and KLIA…offers the best platform to enhance efficiency and service quality. While Subang Airport has been convenient, especially for city-bound travellers, its redevelopment to support future growth will take time,” the airline states. AirAsia Malaysia managing director Fareh Mazputra notes that KLIA’s infrastructure “supports connectivity needs at scale—particularly during peak travel periods”. “It also offers the capacity required for continued growth as we mount more flights to serve the rising demand across East Malaysia routes,” he adds. <br/>
Police in Australia have charged a 17-year-old who got on a plane with a shotgun and ammunition. He was filmed being wrestled to the ground by passengers and crew as the aircraft prepared to take off from Avalon Airport, near Melbourne, carrying 160 people bound for Sydney on Thursday afternoon. Police believe the teenager got onto the airport tarmac by breaching a security fence, before climbing the front steps to the plane, where he was tackled to the ground near the front door. The 17-year-old - who has not been identified - was taken into custody and will appear in youth court to face eight charges. Among them are unlawfully taking control of an aircraft, endangering the flight's safety and creating a bomb hoax. Victoria Police said a bomb specialist had to be brought in to search a car and two bags which were located nearby. Footage published by Australian outlet 7News showed the suspect being restrained by a passenger, while a member of ground crew and a pilot removed a utility belt containing tools that the suspect was carrying. The pilot can also be seen kicking the shotgun away from the teen, who is wearing a fluorescent jacket. "How is this possible?" someone onboard can be heard saying in the footage. Victoria Police said the 17-year-old, who is from the nearby Ballarat area, was being held in custody. Superintendent Michael Reid told reporters that passengers had noticed the teen was carrying a gun as he climbed the steps up to the plane. "The male was overpowered by three of the passengers, at least," he said. Supt Reid said the local force was in contact with counterterrorism police but that it was too early to establish a motive.<br/>
It was all systems go at Hamilton Airport this week as it readies for a hopeful flood of trans-Tasman passengers. Jetstar will commence services to Sydney and the Gold Coast from June. They will be the first scheduled international flights from Hamilton in 13 years, when Virgin Australia stopped flying. It means a new international departure hall at the airport and on Wednesday there were some major upgrades overnight. Peeling open a 60m square hole in the roof, crews placed two X-ray screening machines, feeder belts, a body scanner and other screening equipment inside. The roof was then sealed back up and two air conditioning units were added on top.<br/>Work started at 7pm and finished at 5am ahead of the first flights of the morning. Hamilton Airport CE Mark Morgan said everything went according to plan, including the weather. “We needed the crane gone from the airport apron, where planes park, before flights arrived so timing was key,” said Morgan. “It was a tight, logistical exercise involving builders, roofers, crane operators, air conditioning contractors and our own team and it went well. Even the weather played ball.” The airport is pumping $5m into refurbishing its northern passenger terminal. There is still one big piece of equipment to come - the baggage carousel is currently being shipped to New Zealand from India. Jetstar will offer three return flights per week between Hamilton and the Gold Coast, and four return flights per week between Hamilton and Sydney.<br/>