Connect with us

Commercial Aviation

Aircraft Incident at O’Hare Airport

Published

on

Incident Overview

An unexpected incident occurred at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport involving two major airlines, leading to a significant operational disruption. This article delves into the details of the event and its implications for airport safety protocols.

Event Details

On a busy morning, an American Airlines aircraft inadvertently clipped the tail cone of a stationary United Airlines plane. The incident, confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration, led to no injuries but prompted a thorough investigation.

The United Airlines Boeing 787, destined for Honolulu, had 293 passengers and 10 crew members on board, all of whom were safely transferred to another aircraft for their journey.

Advertisement
Istanbul Aviation Forum, the meeting point of the global aviation industry, April 27-28, 2027

American Airlines managed the situation by deplaning passengers normally and arranging a replacement aircraft for the continuation of their travel.

“We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this caused,” stated a representative from American Airlines.

Impact and Response

The incident caused immediate operational halts and a swift response from both airlines and airport authorities to minimize disruption and ensure passenger safety.

Experts suggest that such incidents highlight the need for enhanced safety measures and protocols on busy taxiways, especially during peak hours.

Investigations are ongoing, with both airlines cooperating fully to prevent future occurrences and improve overall safety standards.

Conclusion

This incident at O’Hare Airport serves as a crucial reminder of the challenges and responsibilities facing airline and airport operations. It underscores the importance of stringent safety protocols and continuous improvement in operational procedures.

The aviation industry must take proactive steps to enhance safety and ensure such incidents are meticulously analyzed to prevent recurrence.

FAQ

Question: What exactly happened during the incident?
Answer: An American Airlines plane clipped the tail of a stationary United Airlines aircraft while taxiing.

Question: Were there any injuries?
Answer: No injuries were reported from the incident.

Question: What measures are being taken post-incident?
Answer: An investigation is underway, and both airlines are reviewing safety protocols.

Source: NBC Chicago

See more AirPro News in Google. Add AirPro News as a preferred source and our stories will appear more often in your Top Stories.
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Istanbul Aviation Forum: 800+ aviation experts, 70+ speakers, 50+ exhibitors, 10+ panels
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Aircraft Orders & Deliveries

Avolon Finalizes Record Lessor Order for 140 Boeing 737-10 Jets

Avolon has finalized 140 Boeing 737-10s, which Boeing calls a record lessor order, lifting Avolon’s 737 MAX backlog past 240 jets.

Published

on

Avolon Finalizes Record Lessor Order for 140 Boeing 737-10 Jets
Photo: Boeing

Avolon has finalized its purchase of 140 Boeing 737-10 airplanes, which Boeing describes as a record 737 MAX order by a lessor. The deal brings Avolon’s 737 MAX backlog to more than 240 unfilled orders, according to Boeing, and commits the lessor to the largest member of the 737 MAX family.

Boeing and Avolon announced the agreement in Seattle on November 4, 2026, in a release published on Boeing’s investor relations site. It follows Avolon’s own release of October 8, 2026, in which the lessor reported a firm order for 140 737 MAX aircraft as part of its 250-aircraft Boeing and Airbus order, subject only to approval by the shareholders of Bohai Leasing Co., Ltd., Avolon’s 70% shareholder.

Advertisement
Istanbul Aviation Forum, the meeting point of the global aviation industry, April 27-28, 2027

Why lessors are moving to the 737-10

Boeing set the order against growing lessor demand for the largest 737 MAX variant. According to the release, lessors placed firm orders for more than 230 737-10 airplanes in 2026, five times the lessor backlog for the variant at the end of 2025. Boeing said large single-aisle jets such as the 737-10 are the fastest-growing segment of commercial aviation.

According to the release, the 737-10 lets Avolon meet demand for larger single-aisle jets while drawing on the versatility of the 737 family, which Boeing says has a large customer base and low operating costs.

The manufacturer said the 737-10 offers the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle airplane, with seating for up to 230 passengers and a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,740 kilometers). AirPro News has also covered Aerolíneas Argentinas’ six 737-10 leases from ACG.

“The 737-10 combines outstanding economics with the capacity airlines increasingly require,” said Andy Cronin, Avolon’s CEO. He said the order strengthens Avolon’s long-term delivery pipeline and its partnership with Boeing.

Brad McMullen, Boeing’s Senior Vice President of Commercial Sales and Marketing, said Avolon’s growing 737 MAX portfolio helps airlines modernize their fleets with lower emissions and operating costs, and that Boeing stands ready to support lessors expanding their single-aisle portfolios.

The 737 in lessor portfolios

Boeing described the 737 as a cornerstone of most lessors’ portfolios, representing about 30% of all financed airplanes. Lessors have ordered more than 1,450 737 MAX airplanes, about 20% of Boeing’s backlog, according to the release. Boeing said projected 4% annual passenger traffic growth over the next 20 years is pushing lessors to broaden their single-aisle offerings.

The release does not give delivery dates for the 140 aircraft or name the airlines that will lease them.

Where the order sits in Avolon’s fleet plan

In its October 8 release, Avolon said it had placed firm orders for 250 new-technology aircraft: 140 737 MAX aircraft from Boeing and 110 aircraft from Airbus, made up of 75 A320neo family and 35 A330neo family aircraft, with options for a further 100 aircraft. The orders raised Avolon’s total firm aircraft commitments to 749 aircraft, and the lessor said they support the long-term fleet requirements of its airline customers.

The same release carried Avolon’s third-quarter 2026 update. The lessor acquired 10 aircraft and sold 29 in the quarter, with 112 more agreed for sale at quarter-end. It placed 28 new-technology aircraft from its commitments, leaving 89% of its committed fleet placed for the next 24 months, and executed 84 lease agreements, extensions and amendments.

Avolon ended the quarter with an owned, managed and committed fleet of 1,092 aircraft as of September 30, 2026, or 1,342 pro forma for the new orders. It also established a US$1.5 billion commercial paper programme and closed a US$855 million unsecured term loan with a syndicate of primarily Asian banks. The company says it works with 138 airlines in 62 countries.

Cronin said in October that Avolon was seeing strong demand for new-technology aircraft, reflected in its third-quarter placement and trading activity, and that the orders would enhance its ability to support airlines renewing and expanding their fleets. The Boeing order lands days after Avolon’s Constellation Aviation launch.

See more AirPro News in Google. Add AirPro News as a preferred source and our stories will appear more often in your Top Stories.
Continue Reading

Aircraft Orders & Deliveries

Eve Air Mobility and FlyBIS Sign Binding Deal for Up to 12 eVTOLs

Eve Air Mobility and FlyBIS signed a binding agreement for up to 12 eVTOLs, two firm and ten purchase rights, for Southern Brazil.

Published

on

Eve Air Mobility and FlyBIS Sign Binding Deal for Up to 12 eVTOLs
Photo: Embraer

Eve Air Mobility and advanced air mobility startup FlyBIS Aviation Limited have signed a binding agreement for up to 12 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, made up of two firm orders and purchase rights for ten more. The deal builds on a 2022 letter of intent that covered up to 40 aircraft, and is aimed at routes in Southern Brazil.

The companies announced the agreement in a press release dated November 4, 2026, from Melbourne, Florida, published on the Embraer media center. According to the release, FlyBIS plans to deploy Eve’s eVTOL in Southern Brazil, initially linking destinations in the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. The release does not disclose the value of the order or a delivery schedule.

Advertisement
Istanbul Aviation Forum, the meeting point of the global aviation industry, April 27-28, 2027

The routes FlyBIS has in mind

The release names potential routes on the Santa Catarina coast, including Navegantes, Balneário Camboriú and Florianópolis, as well as tourism destinations in the mountain region of Rio Grande do Sul, including Gramado and Bento Gonçalves.

“This binding agreement is an important step in our relationship with FlyBIS,” said Johann Bordais, Chief Executive Officer of Eve. Bordais said Southern Brazil has high demand for urban air mobility connections because of its tourism and business activity.

“Signing this binding agreement represents a significant milestone for FlyBIS,” said Gustavo Zanettini, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of FlyBIS. He cited Eve’s combination of aircraft, services and operational support as a strong foundation.

The two companies will keep working on the requirements for entry into service, including network planning, operational readiness, infrastructure and the integration of eVTOL services into the wider transportation system, according to the release. FlyBIS is also launching a strategic fundraising round to fund fleet acquisition, strategic partnerships and network expansion, the release says.

From a 40-aircraft letter of intent to two firm orders

Eve and FlyBIS first announced their partnership on December 8, 2022. In that release, Eve said it had signed a letter of intent with FlyBIS, which it described as an advanced air mobility startup based in Caxias do Sul, in southern Brazil, covering eVTOL operations in Brazil and South America and the purchase of up to 40 Eve eVTOL vehicles. FlyBIS was backed by Brave Aviation, whose fleet includes the Embraer Phenom 100, and said at the time that it aimed to deliver advanced air mobility (AAM) services to Brazil’s southern states as early as 2026.

The binding agreement covers up to 12 aircraft, against up to 40 in the 2022 letter of intent, and the November release does not say whether the rest of the earlier letter of intent remains in place. In the 2022 announcement, Eve said the FlyBIS aircraft were included in an order backlog of up to 2,770 eVTOLs. At the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2026, Eve gave its pre-order book as approximately 2,700 eVTOLs and listed two binding agreements with pre-delivery payments: up to 50 aircraft for Revo in Brazil and up to 50 aircraft for AirX in Japan, with AirX’s initial deployment in sightseeing and last-mile mobility beginning in 2029. The November release does not say whether the FlyBIS order includes pre-delivery payments.

Eve’s November release calls Brazil one of its most important markets, with two operators already committed and several others interested. AirPro News reported on Eve’s other 2026 commitments, including the Shearwater leasing letter of intent signed at Farnborough.

Where Eve’s flight test program stands

According to the November 4 release, Eve’s full-scale engineering prototype has completed more than 70 flights, including hover and low-speed phases. Transition-flight testing is progressing, including in-flight activation of the rear pusher propulsion system, as the aircraft moves toward wing-borne flight. AirPro News covered the first in-flight activation of the pusher propeller in August.

In its July 2026 release, Eve said the engineering prototype first flew in December 2025, that partial transition flights were planned for the summer with full transitions later in the year, and that production of six conforming prototypes would begin later in 2026.

On the regulatory side, the November release says that in September 2026, Brazil’s Ministry of Ports and Airports convened aviation authorities, government representatives and Eve to discuss certification, vertiport infrastructure, energy supply, operational safety, telecommunications and airspace integration. Eve, which says it is backed by Embraer’s 57-year aerospace history, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (EVEX) and the São Paulo Stock Exchange (EVEB31).

See more AirPro News in Google. Add AirPro News as a preferred source and our stories will appear more often in your Top Stories.
Continue Reading

Airlines Strategy

United Airlines Fleet Seen Flying: 1,060 Aircraft in the AirPro Atlas

AirPro Atlas data shows 1,060 United Airlines aircraft seen flying from October 9 to November 4, 2026, 82% of them Boeing jets.

Published

on

United Airlines Fleet Seen Flying: 1,060 Aircraft in the AirPro Atlas
Photo: AirPro News

This is original reporting and analysis by AirPro News.

More United Airlines aircraft were seen flying this autumn than those of any other US airline in the AirPro Atlas. Between October 9 and November 4, 2026, receivers in the ADSB.lol network picked up 1,060 individual aircraft flying with United flight numbers, ahead of American Airlines with 1,002 and Delta Air Lines with 957.

That puts United at number 1 of the 77 US airlines the Atlas follows, ranked by aircraft seen flying. Southwest Airlines (772) and SkyWest Airlines (517) complete the top five.

These figures are not United’s registered fleet or an official count. They are the aircraft that ADS-B receivers saw operating United flights during the period, among the airliner types the Atlas follows. Aircraft leased with their crews count for the airline whose flight numbers they fly, and regions with few receivers are undercounted.

Advertisement
Istanbul Aviation Forum, the meeting point of the global aviation industry, April 27-28, 2027

A Boeing airline, built around the 737

Of the 1,060 aircraft, 869 were Boeing jets (82.0%) and 191 were Airbus jets (18.0%). No other manufacturer appears in United’s count.

The Boeing 737 family alone accounts for 592 aircraft, or 55.8% of everything seen flying for the airline. The four largest groups are all 737 variants: the 737 MAX 9 (149 aircraft), the 737-900 (146), the 737-800 (136) and the 737 MAX 8 (122). Another 38 were 737-700s.

United’s Airbus flying comes from the A320 family: 67 A321neos, 64 A319s and 60 A320s, 191 aircraft in all.

Widebodies and the 757

Widebody aircraft made up 220 of the total, or 20.8%. The Boeing 787 led with 86 aircraft (53 787-9s, 21 787-10s and 12 787-8s), followed by the 777 with 83 (61 777-200s and 22 777-300ERs) and the 767 with 51 (35 767-300s and 16 767-400s).

The Boeing 757 is still part of the picture: 57 were seen flying for United, 36 of them 757-200s and 21 the longer 757-300. In all, the Atlas counted 18 different aircraft types under United flight numbers.

Eight hubs, one alliance

Wikidata lists eight United hubs: Denver International Airport (DEN), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM) in Hagåtña, Guam. The airline, founded in 1926, flies under the callsign UNITED and is a member of Star Alliance.

AirPro News analysis

The count shows how much of United’s operation rests on a single aircraft family. With 592 of 1,060 aircraft seen flying, the 737 carries more than half of the airline’s activity in the Atlas, and the 737 MAX 9 is the most common type on its own.

The gap at the top of the US market is narrow: United’s 1,060 aircraft against American’s 1,002 and Delta’s 957, so the order could change in a later count as aircraft go in and out of maintenance. Widebodies, at 220 aircraft or 20.8%, are about one in five of the aircraft seen flying for United, and the 787 is the largest widebody group, ahead of the 777.

Explore United’s hubs and fleet on the AirPro Atlas.

See more AirPro News in Google. Add AirPro News as a preferred source and our stories will appear more often in your Top Stories.
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Follow Us

AirPro Atlas

Explore aviation on one 3D globe
4,000+ airports, 690+ active airlines, 180+ launch pads and 30 aircraft plants and boneyards, with live weather and launch countdowns.
Open the Atlas

aviation newsletter

Latest

Categories

Tags

Popular News