Boeing’s 737 Max Engine Anti-Ice Fix Finally in the Air
Boeing has begun formal certification trials of a new engine anti‑ice (EAI) design fix for its 737 Max family, targeting the pending entry of the Max 7 and Max 10 into commercial service. The flight tests are being performed on Boeing’s lead Max 10 test aircraft, representing one of the final hurdles before regulatory clearance. CEO Kelly Ortberg is expected to update investors on the certification progress during the first‑quarter 2026 earnings call. The fix, hinted at by a recently approved patent, introduces a novel cooling method that addresses the FAA’s 2023 warning about overheating risk.
Vertical Aerospace’s Piloted Transition Flight Is a Technical and Business Milestone
Vertical Aerospace announced that its VX4 eVTOL prototype completed a one‑way hover‑to‑wing transition on April 2, 2026, followed by a full hover‑to‑wing‑to‑hover flight on April 14. The delays were caused by weather and a rigorous data‑driven testing approach. The milestone validates the...
Spirit Airlines Seeks U.S. Government Aid as Oil Spike Threatens Turnaround
Spirit Airlines has asked the Trump administration for hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency funding to offset soaring fuel costs and avoid possible liquidation. Executives from several low‑cost carriers are slated to meet Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy next week...
FAA Quietly Developing AI-Enabled Predictive Air Traffic Management System
The Federal Aviation Administration is quietly building an AI‑driven tool called Strategic Management of Airspace Routing Trajectories (SMART) to predict and resolve air‑traffic bottlenecks before flights depart. Administrator Bryan Bedford is championing the effort, with Palantir, Thales and Airspace Intelligence...
Army Aviation Chief: D.C. Crash ‘Wasn’t About’ Outdated Black Hawk Cockpit
Army Aviation chief Maj. Gen. Clair Gill said the 2025 D.C. mid‑air collision involving a UH‑60L Black Hawk was not caused by the aircraft’s outdated cockpit. The NTSB identified systemic airspace‑management failures and faulty altimeters as primary factors. The Army...
The Air Current Adds Julie Johnsson to Editorial Team as Global Correspondent
The Air Current announced veteran journalist Julie Johnsson as its new Global Correspondent, expanding the outlet’s editorial reach across commercial aerospace, airlines, and financial markets. Johnsson, a former senior aerospace reporter at Bloomberg with 15 years of experience, is known...
FAA Short-Lists Competitors for Key Next-Gen ATC Software Platform
The Federal Aviation Administration has short‑listed five firms—Collins Aerospace, Leidos, Thales, Indra and Frequentis—to develop the Common Automation Platform (CAP), a software layer that will underpin the next‑generation national air traffic control system. The CAP concept is tied to the...
United CEO Is Skeptical of eVTOL Airport Taxis, but FAA Has a More Nuanced Take
United Airlines' CEO Scott Kirby publicly expressed doubts about the practicality of using electric vertical take‑off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft as airport shuttles, despite a 2021 $1 billion conditional order with Archer Aviation. Archer’s certification delays have pushed its Midnight eVTOL...
U.S. Navy’s F/A-XX Fighter Mired in Delays and Disagreements Despite Fresh Funding
The U.S. Navy’s sixth‑generation F/A‑XX fighter program received a fresh infusion of nearly $1 billion from Congress in February, reviving hopes for a stealthy “quarterback” aircraft to operate alongside unmanned systems. The jet is intended to anchor the Navy’s Pacific strategy...
D.C.-area ATC Evacuations Followed 2025 Smoke Event Which Injured Controllers
The Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) experienced three smoke‑related incidents within a year, beginning with an unreported April 2025 event that caused nausea, dizziness and permanent loss of FAA medical certificates for several controllers. In March 2024 the facility was evacuated...
Caught Between Airbus and Airlines, Pratt Prioritizes the Grounded Fleet
Pratt & Whitney is wrestling with a powder‑metal contamination problem that has grounded more than 2,000 Airbus A320neo family aircraft. The issue affects the PW1100G engine, which powers roughly 46% of the 4,400 Neo deliveries since 2016. While Airbus pushes for...
Boeing’s Certification Logjam Begins to Break with FAA Approval of 787 Upgrade
Boeing secured FAA approval for increased maximum take‑off weight (iMTOW) variants of its 787‑9 and 787‑10 wide‑bodies, the first major certification since the 737 Max 8200 in 2021. The 787‑9 gains 10,000 lb, reaching 571,500 lb, while the 787‑10 adds 14,000 lb to 574,000 lb....
FAA Clears Boeing 777-9 to Begin First Part of TIA Phase 4 Certification Trials
The FAA announced on March 17 that Boeing received clearance to start Phase 4A of the Type Inspection Authorization for its 777‑9, the first segment of the five‑phase certification program. Phase 4A will involve extensive air‑ and ground‑based system tests, mirroring the workload...
NTSB Board Member J. Todd Inman Abruptly Departs Safety Watchdog
J. Todd Inman, one of five members of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, has abruptly left the agency, according to sources. His departure follows the Senate’s Feb. 25 confirmation of John Deleeuw, former American Airlines safety chief, which restored the...
Hyundai eVTOL Subsidiary Supernal Lays Off Most of Its Staff in Major Retrenchment
Hyundai Motor Group’s eVTOL arm Supernal announced a major workforce reduction, laying off 296 employees—roughly the bulk of its staff. The cuts underscore the subsidiary’s struggle to deliver a market‑ready electric vertical take‑off and landing aircraft despite five years of...