Episode 584 - Fleet Sizes and Cargo Terminals

Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2026 and hope you've had a wonderful start to the year.  In this week's show: We take a look at the largest airlines in the world by fleet size – and there are a couple of surprises in there; Turkish Airlines are set to build the world's largest cargo terminal; and London Gatwick becomes the UK's most expensive airport for drop-off fees - hiking charges up to £10 per visit.    In the military segment: AC-130J Ghostrider aircraft are now touching down at Mildenhall in the UK; and FlyaSpitfire.com launches historic flight experiences at Tatenhill airfield at Burton-on-Trent in Staffordshire.    Nev will give us an update on how things are going for our 600th show in May of this year and we'll have another spin back to see another retro airline ad of the week. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

Ho Ho Ho, it's time to get all festive! In this week's show:  The Airbus A320neo fuselage panel defect has been confirmed on an in-service aircraft as EASA proposes inspections; Airplane mode on your phone - is it really still important to switch off devices in flight?; and Leonardo completes their first flight of the next-generation tiltrotor aircraft.   In the military segment: The Irish Air Corps takes delivery of a Dassault Falcon 6X; and the U.S. Navy reports faulty materials and poor coordination between services for the V-22 Osprey problems.   We'll have the Retro Airline Ad of the Week of course along with an update on our progress for the 600th show in May of next year.   Joining me this week are Matt, Nev, Nik, Andy and a special guest appearance by Allan Whyte You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

In this week's show: Lufthansa is to sell 2 of its Boeing 747-8s to the US Air Force for Government work; Spaceport Cornwall partners with the National Drone Hub to expand uncrewed systems testing; and United Airlines touches down in Adelaide for the first time this month.    In the military segment: We celebrate the last of the British Harrier flights which took place 15 years ago.    We have the usual Retro Airline Ad of the Week segment along with an update on our plans for the 600th show in May of next year – spaces are filling up very quickly for this currently!    And we'll be announcing the winner of the competition to win the fantastic Irish Air Spectacular 3 book and the 2026 calendar, kindly donated to us by Allan Whyte. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

In this week's show: Alaska Airlines secures slots for Heathrow launch; someone experiments whether ChatGPT can land an Airbus A320 after telling it both pilots are missing; and KLM retires its first Boeing 737 aircraft after 25 years of operations.   In the military: There are massive new campsite plans for RIAT 2026 near RAF Fairford and a Damaged B-2 stealth bomber returns to frontline duty after a four-year repair from landing gear collapse.   We'll have the usual Retro Airline Ad of the Week as well as a reminder of the excellent competition that Allan Whyte has set for you all.   Nev will also give us an update on the plans for the 600th show in May of next year. Spaces are running out quickly, so be sure to let us know if you would like to attend. More news on how to do that later in the show.  

A whole lot of aviation news from the UK and from around the world to get through tonight. Join the hosts as they discuss the latest industry events and news. Have your say and shape the conversation of the show through our LIVE chatroom.  In this week's show its one problem after another for Airbus, Broughton is the place to be for whale hunting & we look at bag tracking & no its nothing to do with apple. In the military its cool to be 101 and still flying and its all drone with the Blackhawks. You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

In this week's show: A Boeing 737 flies at 37,000 feet with a door handle sticking out;  8 passengers on an SAS flight were taken to hospital after a fire in the cabin (not a lithium-ion battery surely!) and we take a look at the UK's latest Government proposals to finally build a third runway at Heathrow.     In the military: Boeing secures a $877m MH-47G helicopter order from the US Special Operations Command; and the New Zealand Air Force signs a contract for 2 A321XLR strategic transport aircraft.    We'll have the results of our competition as well as the latest news of our 600th show preparations for May of next year.    And of course, no show would be complete without a Retro Airline Ad of the Week video to play you. This week we travel back to the 1980's with good old BA.   You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected]

In this week's show: The UK and Channel Islands regional operator Blue Islands ceases trading and cancels flights; Jet2 is to offer flights from Gatwick for the first time; and a maintenance error led to the overrun of an American 737 at Dallas/Fort Worth last year.    In the military segment: The U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff confirms the F-47 next-generation fighter jet will take its first flight in 2028.    We'll also give you some more details about our 600th show which is going to take place in May 2026. Spaces are running out quickly so be sure to let us know if you plan on coming. Nev will give us an update later.    We are extending the competition for another week with a fantastic prize to give away – Nik will tell you all about that later in the show.    And we have another cracking Retro Airline Ad Of The Week segment which will take us all back down memory lane.   You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

In this week's show: British Airways signs a major deal with Starlink to provide every customer in every cabin free Wi-Fi;  Qantas Airways' 1st Airbus A350‑1000ULR for Project Sunrise takes shape in Toulouse; and the FAA grounds all MD-11 and MD-11F fleets pending inspections in wake of Louisville crash. It is also easyJet's 30th birthday this week and we'll talk about little about that too.   In the military: Airbus Defence has delivered the first A400M tactical transport aircraft to the Indonesian Air Force and sadly there has been an accident to a Turkish Air Force C-130 which occurred after departure from Azerbaijan.   On the lighter side of things, we have a highly amusing caption competition this week, that features Captain Al as the most mentioned person in the comments. I can't imagine why...   We'll also give you some more details about our 600th show which is going to take place in May 2026.  You can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +447446975214 Email [email protected] or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

Join Carlos, Nev and John for an evening of aviation fun with all the latest international commercial and military aviation news. In this week's show: 'No more turbulence' as Emirates makes a major change to reduce risk of bumpy flights; Ryanair begin hiring pilots for their 737 MAX-10 deliveries and we'll be discussing the tragic accident of the UPS MD-11 that crashed in Louisville yesterday. In the military: The US Air Force says it needs 1500 more fighters to meet future threats . We'll have the usual retro airline ad of the week segment and we will have more details of our 600th show which is taking place on Friday 22nd May next year. Don't forget you can get in touch with us all at : WhatsApp +44 757 22 491 66  Email [email protected]  or comment in our chatroom on YouTube.

In this week's show: The regional operator Eastern Airways ceases flying as they appoint an administrator;  US airports report over 20 air traffic controller shortage incidents in just one day; and Ryanair issues an urgent warning to all passengers over new boarding pass rules from November.   In the military: Turkey finalises a deal to acquire 12 ex-Royal Air Force C-130J tactical transport aircraft; and 'bad fuel" may have caused recent back-to-back Nimitz aircraft crashes.   We have the last part of the interview with Alan Munro – this is a really good one we have to say and we think you'll enjoy more of Alan's anecdotes from when he was in the RAF and then into the world of civilian flying.    We also have an exciting announcement to make regarding where and when our 600th show is going to be. That's going to be coming up at the end of the show, so stay tuned!