Airline News

Russia has moved to block foreign leasing companies from repossessing their aircraft in the country. More than half of the commercial airplanes in Russia are owned by Western lessors, and the lessors have until March 28 to comply with sanctions and repossess those airplanes. But Russia's move to essentially commandeer those aircraft is a violation of international law and could cost lessors billions of dollars.

In the 30 years since the Soviet Union collapsed, the world aerospace and airline industries have gone truly global. Remember when Aeroflot flew a motley collection of aging Tupolevs and…

All Russian airlines must cope with mass cancellations and refunds, echoing the early days of the pandemic. For instance, Aeroflot and S7, Russia's two largest airlines, said they were halting flights to the dozens of countries they serve.

Now that airlines are no longer required to fly to all their pre-pandemic destinations per aid rules, several have begun dropping routes to smaller cities. This is the perfect time for startup airlines to fill in the void and start flying from secondary markets, Avelo's new Chief Financial Officer Hunter Keay says.

Lufthansa predicts strong summer leisure demand, even with a war happening on its doorstep. Asia flights will take two hours longer than they used to when they could overfly Siberia, but the additional fuel costs will be offset by not having to pay steep Russian overflight fees.

The fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine is spreading far and wide for airlines. Aeroflot and other Russian carriers face potentially crippling sanctions, while others from Europe to the U.S. are recalibrating to a new environment.

Airlines increasingly are feeling the effects of the U.S. pilot shortage. United Airlines is the latest to cancel routes and drop destinations because it can't find enough pilots to operate its flights. The problem could take a while to resolve, as it takes years to train a pilot to fly a commercial flight.

The backlash for Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to mount. AirBaltic has suspended flights to the country through at least May, with CEO Martin Gauss saying he doesn't "think it’s right" to serve the country for the time being.

John Boccieri has a full resume as fighter pilot, United Airlines pilot, politician, and air base vice commander. In his quest to be FAA administrator, he has been winning endorsements.

Unlike many recent conflicts, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is directly global affecting airline and aerospace in a way not seen for decades. The situation is changing by the day, but here’s what we know so far.