Aircraft Parts: Private Equity Spikes Costs, Sustainability in Question By Russ Niles One of the biggest players in aircraft parts and systems says it’s investing in its aviation companies and intends to continue strengthening “their manufacturing and service capabilities and better serve aircraft owners and operators.” The quote is part of a written response by Arcline, an investment company that...Read More

Colleges Embrace Aviation Home Field Advantage Four school-owned airports embrace their storied histories and modern aviation training. By Grant Boyd For some, the most appealing and memorable spot on a college campus is the football stadium, where they tailgated and cheered on their team to victory. For others, it’s the lecture hall or library, where they met their significant other...Read More

Airbus advises some A330neo operators to anticipate tail inspections Potential checks follow an isolated quality problem found during production, while the final aircraft population is still being determined with EASA By Ricardo Meier Airbus has advised some A330neo operators to anticipate possible inspections of the aircraft’s horizontal tail plane during scheduled maintenance after a quality problem was found on a...Read More

IFA Hosts Senior Aviation Leaders Summit On Wednesday 30th September IFA held the inaugural IFA Senior Aviation Leaders Summit to better understand the current and future challenges to airworthiness provision in the UK and building on the responses received to the IFA’s survey. The outcome was a number of positive actions that we will share more about in the coming...Read More

BOAC’s First Transatlantic Jet Service By Lee Cross Fouth of October in 1958, British Overseas Aircraft Corporation (BOAC) launched the world’s first jet-powered transatlantic flight. Using the de Havilland Comet 4, BOAC beat rival Pan American to the post by just three weeks, operating the first jet service across the North Atlantic to New York. This was despite Pan Am...Read More

The High School Programs Training a New Generation of Aviation Mechanics Every flight you’ve ever taken has relied on aircraft mechanics to maintain the plane and its engines. Sometimes, your flight might even be delayed because of maintenance. The commercial airline industry has a strong demand for mechanics. With current openings and a wave of retirements, airlines will need to...Read More

EASA grounds Elixir fleet after fatal test flight accident All Elixir aircraft have been grounded following a fatal accident involving an aircraft operated by the French manufacturer. EASA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive on Friday 2 October suspending all flight operations by the type from 3 October. The directive applies to every Elixir aircraft, regardless of serial number, and has...Read More

FAA Issues Record Number of Mechanic Certificates New certifications jumped 23.2% in 2025, but industry forecasts still point to a sizable workforce shortage. By Matt Ryan The FAA issued a record 11,103 new mechanic certificates in 2025, up 23.2% from the previous year, according to the new Pipeline Report from the Aviation Technician Education Council and Oliver Wyman. It was...Read More

Join us for the 2026 John Saull Memorial Event   Tuesday 10 November 2026 Cranfield University, IDEAS Area, AIRC The International Federation of Airworthiness (IFA) is delighted to invite members and friends of the Federation to join us at Cranfield University for the 2026 John Saull Memorial Event. The John Saull Memorial Event is an opportunity for the IFA community...Read More

Aviation Cybersecurity: Enhanced Air Safety Requires FAA to Better Mitigate Threats to Aircraft Communications The Federal Aviation Administration provides air traffic services for more than 44,000 flights and 3 million people per day. FAA’s air traffic and data communications systems are vulnerable to cyber threats. These threats are continuously evolving and include spectrum interference, spoofing and jamming, and more. While...Read More