Aerotime reports, “Airbus announced on January 27, 2025, that it is pausing the development of its CityAirbus NextGen electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft … Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, highlighted the uncertainty over the capabilities of the current generation of batteries as the key reason for the suspension of this program.”
Full Story (Aerotime)
Tag: Pauses
Wildfires Disrupt East Coast Flights: Incoming Planes Paused at LaGuardia, Newark and Philadelphia
Forbes reports that on Thursday morning, the FAA “paused all flights to New York City’s LaGuardia Airport, nearby Newark airport and Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday morning…after the agency reported low visibility as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to affect the Northeast.” The FAA indicated that “reduced visibility from wildfire smoke” will “impact air travel throughout the Northeast, adding it will ‘likely’ need to ‘manage the flow of traffic’ in and out of airports surrounding New York City, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Charlotte.”
Full Story (Forbes)
Boeing Pauses 777 Testing After Engine Issue
FlightGlobal reports that The Boeing Company “has halted its 777-9 flight-test programme due to a problem involving a flight-test aircraft’s GE Aerospace GE9X turbofan, prompting engine evaluations by GE.” Both companies confirm “the flight-test pause but provide few details about the problem, leaving the extent of the issue and its potential impact on the 777-9’s certification timeline unclear.” GE says it “discovered the problem, later found to involve temperatures, following a borescope inspection.” Boeing’s 777-9 certification program “is already substantially delayed, with Boeing most recently – in April – pushing its expected first 777-9 delivery back two years, to 2025.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)
Boeing Pauses 737 MAX Production for 10 Days
The Wall Street Journal reported that The Boeing Company has paused 737 MAX production for about 10 days following supply-chain issues.
Full Story (Wall Street Journal – Subscription Publication)
FAA Temporarily Suspends Falcon 9 Launches to Investigate Booster Landing Mishap
Space News reports, “Falcon 9 launches are temporarily on hold as the Federal Aviation Administration looks into any public safety implications of the failed landing of a booster early Aug. 28. In an Aug. 28 statement, the FAA stated it was aware of the incident earlier that day when a Falcon 9 booster landed on a droneship on an otherwise successful launch of 21 Starlink satellites. Upon landing, flames erupted from the booster’s base and the vehicle tipped over seconds later.”
Full Story (Space News)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)
U.S. Suspends Exports of Jet Engine and Semiconductor Technology to China
The New York Times reports, “The Trump administration has suspended some sales to China of critical U.S. technologies, including those related to jet engines, semiconductors and certain chemicals and machinery. The move is a response to China’s recent restrictions on exports of critical minerals to the United States, a decision by Beijing that has threatened to cripple U.S. company supply chains, according to two people familiar with the matter.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
U.S. Pauses Sale of CFM Aircraft Engine to China
Flying Magazine reports, “The U.S. Commerce Department has paused the sale of some American-made aviation equipment to China, including CFM International’s LEAP 1-C engine, which Chinese airplane maker Comac uses to power its narrowbody C919. The New York Times first reported the export block on Wednesday, citing officials with knowledge of the matter. The department largely confirmed the newspaper’s reporting to Reuters, saying in a statement that it is reviewing “exports of strategic significance to China” and suspending export licenses for certain technology as that review continues.”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)