Riyadh strikes, Heathrow runway push, and airline route shifts

Airportssimpleflying.com12 Oct

WestJet captain criticises Seattle taxiing after 737 burns 800 lbs of fuel

Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand.

His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot.

A pilot at WestJet has voiced his frustration over ground delays at one of America's busiest airports after his aircraft burned up to 800 pounds (362 kg) of fuel while waiting to depart Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The WestJet captain was operating a flight from Seattle to Calgary International Airport (YYC) on Thursday, October 8, but was forced to taxi for over 30 minutes just to reach the runway.

Airlive reported the incident involving Canada's second-largest airline, WestJet, after the pilot described significant delays on the short-haul service between Washington State and Alberta. The disruption left the flight running more than three hours behind schedule and burning through more fuel than usual.

WestJet flight 1553 departed Seattle more than three hours behind schedule on Thursday, a delay that had already frustrated passengers. The Boeing 737-800 was then forced to wait a further 32 minutes to navigate the congested taxiways before it was able to reach Runway 16L.

Found an error? Send it info@simpleflying.com so it can be corrected.

After the prolonged ground transit, the narrowbody twinjet had burned around 800 lbs of fuel just from idling and maneuvering on the ground, before it had even taken off. The pilot acknowledged that a half-hour taxi delay had become usual at Seattle, prompting him to request for additional fuel over the standard planned quantity prior to departure.

This was undertaken as a precaution in case of excessive taxiing that would have otherwise seen the plane needing to potentially return to the gate to remain in the legal minimum takeoff fuel requirements.

WS1553 is a scheduled daily service between Seattle and Calgary. The route is contested between Canadian carrier WestJet and Seattle-based Alaska Airlines. On Thursday, October 8, the scheduled departure time of the flight, as per Simple Flying's flight tracker, suggested the service should have departed at 10:30 AM local time. The service was delayed on departure and eventually pushed back from the gate at 1:03 PM.

As noted by Airlive, the aircraft was forced into more than 30 minutes of ground taxiing and maneuvering across the taxiways to reach its planned runway for departure. Once the aircraft was airborne, at 1:35 PM, it made the one-hour and 59-minute journey northeast, arriving into Alberta's largest city, Calgary, at 4:02 PM.

The recent events for this WestJet flight highlight the ongoing concerns for ground congestion and taxi times at major US airports, and the pressures placed on airlines for operational costs, efficiency, and fuel management. The incident highlights the role airline crews play when anticipating potential ground delays, and the need to consider additional fuel to avoid gate returns or further disruption.

The long taxi times at Seattle have been impacted by the closure of one of its three parallel runways. The airport’s center runway, 16C/34C, is out of service through November 15 for construction purposes. As such, airlines are restricted to operations on just two runways, with departing flights using Runway 16L/34R, while arriving aircraft use Runway 16R/34L.

The airport ranks as the 12th-busiest in the US by passenger numbers, typically handling around 1,300 to 1,500 arrivals and departures each day. Footfall at the airport has continued to grow year-on-year, with SEA handling a record 52.7 million passengers in 2025, around 2% more than its previous record of 51.8 million in 2019.

There are four airlines serving Seattle with Canadian destinations in their route map. Canadian carriers Air Canada and WestJet are by far the largest operators, followed by Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Full details in the table below:

Air Canada Express, Alaska Airlines, Delta Connection

Vancouver is the busiest Canadian destination from the airport, with data from The Frequent Flyer suggesting that between July 2025 and June 2026 more than 624,000 passengers traveled between the two airports. The route sits third overall for all international routes from the airport, behind Taipei (778,000) and Seoul (631,000).

ShareXFacebookWhatsApp

Airlinessimpleflying.com12 Oct

British Airways swaps prime JFK morning slot for five-week Orlando run

From July 21 to August 29, British Airways used its 272-seat Boeing 777-200ER for nonstop services from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Orlando International Airport (MCO). The inclusion of this route, with the round-trip completed 18 times, was enough for British Airways to reach 26 destinations on its Heathrow-US network this summer. Frequencies within this network reached an enormous 47 per day.

Along with this additional route, British Airways also added further frequencies to destinations like Miami and Las Vegas. One of the most eye-catching aspects of the Orlando route was that it used the 8:20 AM slot, usually reserved for a flight to New York. At one of the world's most constrained airports, this is an incredibly valuable slot. It's unusual for a high-yield mainstay on this valuable slot to be replaced by a seasonal service.

The trip from Heathrow to Orlando, starting July 21, 2026, was the first time it had been served by British Airways beyond pandemic years. The flights departed at 8:20 AM, arriving at 12:55 PM local time. Meanwhile, the return flight departed at 6:10 PM and arrived at 7:45 AM the next day local time. This flight clearly had leisure passengers in mind.

The five-week operating period overlapped perfectly with the British school summer holidays, when the nation's children get a long, simultaneous break from school. The three-weekly frequency makes it British Airways' least-served city pair with a US destination. This route was usually operated by the 777-200ER. The table below shows the British Airways fleet according to Planespotters.net, showing how 777 family aircraft fit into the roster.

Equipment swaps are always possible in the aviation sector. Flightradar24 data shows that a 256-seat 777-300ER replaced the 200ER for the July 23 and August 8 services. The -300ER is a larger aircraft but has fewer seats for British Airways because the carrier uses a premium-dense configuration.

Another seasonal service that was instrumental in British Airways achieving the 26-destination US record was the trip from London Heathrow to St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL). This route marked the first time that Heathrow had a direct route to St. Louis. The city previously had flights to London, which stopped 23 years ago. American Airlines operated a trip from St. Louis to London Gatwick Airport (LGW). This route had been inherited from TWA.

The route covers an average of 3,650 nautical miles (6,760 km) each way. It adds to St. Louis' other European long-haul airline, Lufthansa, although the German flag carrier runs year-round. The table below shows the operating pattern of the four-weekly flights from Heathrow to St. Louis.

British Airways has yet to announce whether it will expand either of its St. Louis or Orlando services by adding another summer seasonal service in 2027, or something year-round. It will be fascinating to see once the summer 2027 schedule is announced whether the carrier concludes that the operations were sufficiently successful to justify taking up its limited Heathrow slots again.

British Airways isn't only adding to its Heathrow slot usage for summer leisure trips to America by adding new routes. It has also added frequencies to pre-existing routes. An example is the flights to Miami, which Economy Class and Beyond reports have been double-daily across the summer. Flights to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) have also become daily, and trips from Heathrow to Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) have gone from ten to 13 per week.

British Airways also flies to San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) 14 times per week. The Orlando flights took away from the slots dedicated to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) frequencies, but that does not mean the carrier is turning its back on this high-yield business and leisure route. This destination, which British Airways only serves from Heathrow as oppos

ShareXFacebookWhatsApp

Airlinessimpleflying.com12 Oct2 outlets reporting

Lufthansa 747-8 aborts LAX landing after near tail strike

On Saturday, a Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 flying from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) had a rather eventful arrival in Southern California when it came within inches of a tail strike during touchdown. The alarming incident was caught on camera by a planespotting livestream at the airport, forcing the widebody quadjet to go around and land at LAX on the second attempt.

This delayed its arrival into the City of Angels, and its return flight back to Frankfurt also took off behind schedule. However, a quick transatlantic crossing ensured a timely arrival back in Germany the next day. Interestingly enough, this is not the first time that this flight specifically has been involved in an eventful arrival at LAX, with previous Simple Flying coverage highlighting another infamously bumpy landing attempt.

Lufthansa flight LH456 is a daily service from Frankfurt to Los Angeles which, according to Flightradar24, is scheduled to leave at 10:40 AM and arrive at 1:10 PM, some 11 hours and 30 minutes later (all times are local). On October 10, despite leaving slightly late at 11:18 AM, the flight looked good for a fairly punctual arrival, initially touching down at 1:18 PM. However, things took a dramatic turn.

As reported by The Mirror and captured on a planespotting livestream, the flight had to abort its landing and perform a go-around after pitching sharply upwards, with this maneuver seeing its tail come within inches of striking the surface of runway 24R. After climbing away from LAX and circling, it eventually touched down at 1:33 PM, 15 minutes later. A Lufthansa spokesperson told Simple Flying that:

"LH456 performed a go-around on October 10 while approaching Los Angeles and landed normally and safely on its second attempt. This is a standard procedure that has been well-rehearsed. Safety is always a top priority at Lufthansa."

The aircraft involved in this alarming incident was a Boeing 747-8 that bears the registration D-ABYK. According to ch-aviation, it is 13.22 years old, having first flown back in July 2013. It was delivered to Lufthansa a month later, and currently has 244 economy, 32 premium economy, 80 business, and eight first class seats. Having landed safely at LAX on the second attempt, it was soon back in the air.

While it came very close to doing so, with its tail having not actually made contact with the surface of runway 24R at LAX, D-ABYK did not sustain any damage that might have otherwise needed Lufthansa to take it out of service for inspection and repairs. With that being said, its return leg back to Frankfurt, LH457, did take off almost an hour behind schedule, at 4:00 PM local time as opposed to 3:05 PM.

However, it was able to overcome this delay with a swift transatlantic crossing, and it ultimately touched back down in Frankfurt at 10:50 AM on Sunday, October 11, just ahead of its planned arrival at 11:00 AM local time. It did not operate any other flights on Sunday, with its next planned departure being LH402 to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on Monday, October 12. This will leave at 1:20 PM.

As it happens, this is not the first time that a Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 has experienced a rough landing in Los Angeles. Back in April 2024, D-ABYP was involved in a similar incident, touching down extremely hard while being flown by a training pilot and bottoming out the landing gear as it bounced.

Found an error? Send it info@simpleflying.com so it can be corrected.

ShareXFacebookWhatsApp

Airlinesbangkokpost.com12 Oct

AirAsia co-founder meets Malaysian finance ministry over funding talks

HONG KONG - AirAsia co-founder Tony ‌Fernandes met with officials from Malaysia's Finance Ministry two weeks ago to discuss potential government support for Southeast Asia's largest low-cost airline, said three people with knowledge of the matter.

The talks reflect growing government concerns about the financial health of the country's largest domestic carrier following a spike in jet fuel prices, the people said.

Discussions centred on the prospect of the government backing AirAsia's fundraising efforts provided the airline agreed to proposed conditions, which remain under discussion, two of the people said. Reuters could not immediately determine details of the proposed conditions.

Fernandes, speaking for the airline as its co-founder ​and adviser, told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Friday that he had ⁠met with officials from Malaysia's finance and transport ministries during the week starting Sept 28 at his request.

He said the discussions focused on aviation-related costs such as airport charges and fuel, not financial assistance.

"Obviously, like every airline in the world, we are telling government that this is a tough period," he said.

"There have been no discussions on financial assistance with the government," Fernandes added. "I meet with government officials all the time...just because I ‌meet them doesn't mean we're talking about financial assistance."

He said he had not approached the government for help, and the government had not raised concerns with him about AirAsia's funding or offered support.

Fernandes said he was "100%" confident AirAsia could navigate the situation without state assistance, as it had during the pandemic.

But Fernandes said AirAsia would not turn away help if offered from any government in the countries where it operates, including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. "We will never say no to it. We would be foolish to do ⁠so," he said.

He added that he had previously asked the government to help the airline secure loans from Malaysian banks rather than borrowing overseas, and still sought such support as he preferred local-currency loans with better interest rates and terms.

Representatives from Alton Aviation Consultancy, which Reuters previously reported the Finance Ministry has hired to assess loss-making AirAsia's funding needs, also attended the meeting, two of the people with knowledge of the discussions said.

Malaysia's Finance Ministry declined to comment. Alton did not respond to requests for comment.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke told a press conference on Monday that he had not had any meetings with AirAsia in the last two to three weeks, nor had other Transport Ministry officials.

"They (AirAsia) may have had discussions with the Ministry of Finance. These ​airlines do have regular meetings with the government," Loke said.

His comments were made after the publication of Reuters' report about the meeting between Fernandes and the Finance Ministry.

AirAsia shares were trading 5% lower on Monday afternoon.

The airline has been hit by soaring jet fuel costs that surged 66% in the second quarter from the prior quarter to an average of $183 a barrel, stemming from the ​US-Israeli ‌war on Iran.

The meeting followed a Reuters report last month that Malaysia's government had asked Malaysia Airlines and Batik Air whether they could absorb AirAsia's domestic market share as part of scenario planning while authorities monitor the carrier's financial health. AirAsia's shares fell as much as 21% to near four-year lows the next day.

The government has grown increasingly concerned about AirAsia's financial position because ​of the ⁠knock-on effects its weakness would have on air connectivity, tourism and related businesses such as state-linked airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, said two of the people.

AirAsia controls about 60% of Malaysia's domestic aviation market and employs 26,000 people, according to Fernandes. The airline had cash and bank balances of 954 million ringgit ($233.65 million) and current liabilities of 18.4 ⁠billion ringgit as of June 30.

The meeting with government officials followed a company town hall Fernandes held on Sept 28 at AirAsia's headquarters, where he told staff that the airline would overcome its current difficulties, two of the people said.

Fernandes said he had told employees it was a tough time for all airlines. "We've been through many tough times before. We will come out of it stronger," he recalled saying. "The big difference between this and Covid is we can actually fly."

At a press conference on Sept 18, he said there had been no discussions ⁠with the government, the carrier had "strong liquidity" and "we do not need rescue, bailout, whatever."

AirAsia reported a net loss of 831 million ringgit ($204 million) for the second quarter ended June 30, ​hit by higher jet fuel costs and foreign-exchange losses of 331 million ringgit.

The airline has said it is targeting up to $1 billion from international debt markets plus 700 million ringgit in local credit facilities, primarily to refinance existing debt. Its stock has lost more than 70% of its value this year.

Fernandes said on Friday he expected the $1 billion fundraising to be completed between December and February, with half used to refinance expensive loans and the rest for working capital and paying off "extended liabilities."

Fernandes said AirAsia was budgeting for 12 months of high oil ‌prices and had yet to see demand weaken, with the ⁠percentage of seats filled above 80% even though jet fuel prices had risen as high as $200 a ​barrel.

"Above $200, it hasn't been tested yet," he said. "At some point, it will create demand destruction. I'm not sure where that point is."

ShareXFacebookWhatsApp