Autonomous Merlin Pilot Wins Airworthiness Approval in New Zealand By Hanneke Weitering The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand (CAANZ) has awarded Merlin an experimental airworthiness certificate for its Merlin Pilot autonomous flight platform, clearing it to begin certification flight testing in the country, the company announced on May 22. Starting with the Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, Merlin intends to...Read More

FAA Faces Staffing Crisis Amid Wave Of Departures By Amelia Walsh More than 1,200 employees—including senior leaders and technical experts—are leaving, raising concerns about the agency’s ability to maintain key safety and regulatory functions. The Federal Aviation Administration is facing a surge in resignations and retirements, driven in part by a Trump-era program to cut labor costs, the Wall Street Journal reported on...Read More

Boeing publicizes fourth Chief Aerospace Safety Officer Report By Bjorn Fehrm Boeing Chief Aerospace Safety Officer Don Ruhmann publishes his 2025 Safety Report today. Leeham was present in briefings both on the report content (this article) and how the safety work is progressing in view of recent problem areas (a Monday article). The report describes the work of the dedicated...Read More

Celebrate ‘May-tenance’ month By Flight Safety ‘May-tenance month’ is back, shining a spotlight on the essential role of aircraft maintenance engineers in keeping our skies safe. This year, celebrate their expertise, dedication and the vital contributions they make to aviation safety, with a month of engaging activities and initiatives. Aircraft maintenance engineers play a vital role in keeping the skies...Read More

ZeroAvia to Build Manufacturing Hub in Scotland Zero-emission aviation leader will launch a Hydrogen Centre of Excellence and major manufacturing facility close to Glasgow Airport Scottish Enterprise have awarded ZeroAvia a £9m Regional Selective Assistance grant to help realise the project alongside company investment, creating hundreds of jobs The manufacturing plans build on UK Government R&D funding and equity investment...Read More

Airbus Summit 2025 – Update on progress toward sustainable aviation By Eric Brothers At the third edition of the Airbus Summit held in Toulouse, France in March, experts, creators, and innovators from around the world gathered in person and online to learn the latest news of the plane maker’s efforts toward sustainable aerospace. Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said, “We thought...Read More

ITE and ST Engineering launch state-of-the-art engine MRO training facility to strengthen aviation talent In a significant move to bolster the aviation maintenance sector, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and ST Engineering have inaugurated a cutting-edge training facility dedicated to aircraft engine Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO). Named Onboarding Aviation Skills, Knowledge and Innovation Learning Laboratory (Onboarding@SKILL), this facility...Read More

Aviation Maintenance Day Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Day is an International Day of Recognition, observed on May 24, that recognizes the efforts of aviation maintenance professionals as well as the achievements of Charles Edward Taylor, the man who built the engine used to power the airplane of the Wright Brothers. https://aviationweek.com/mro/workforce-training/aviation-week-network-celebrates-amt-day-2025 IFA Comments: IFA joins our US colleagues in a...Read More

ECCAIRS2 – System Update Announcement  We’re excited to share that we’ve upgraded our occurrence reporting system from ECCAIRS to ECCAIRS 2—a web-based tool that enhances how we collect and manage safety reports. This internal shift helps us adopt the latest taxonomy releases and work more efficiently behind the scenes. While it won’t directly affect you, it marks a significant operational change....Read More

VIDEO: IFA Interview: Where Next for Vertical Lift? An Interview with Simon Stacey Catch up on IFA’s CEO John Vincent’s discussion with Simon Stacey, Winner of the Award for extraordinary work in vertical flight. In a one-hour conversation, Simon Stacey (Leonardo UK) and John Vincent (IFA) explored the importance of advancing vertical flight. Discussion ranged […] This content is only...Read More