4 October 2026
Walkaround
Aviation news and fleet brief
What is going on with the aircraft you work on. Every page is a five minute read, and every claim carries at least two independent sources.
Today in aviation
The one or two things worth knowing right now. Each opens in full, with its own sources.
Safety
Flydubai co-pilot attacks captain with cockpit crash axe in flight
A Flydubai co-pilot attacked the captain with the cockpit crash axe and sent a Dubai to Tel Aviv flight carrying 174 people into a steep descent before the crew regained control and diverted safely to Saudi Arabia.
Regulation
FAA clears Boeing 737 MAX software glitch, reopening path to MAX 10 certification
The FAA's Corrective Action Review Board concluded the flight computer software defect that had paused 737 MAX 10 certification is not a safety of flight issue, clearing the path for Boeing's newest and largest MAX variant.
Fleet brief
Current program, maintenance, safety and fleet news for the commercial aircraft types in service today.
15 aircraft types tracked. 1 updated today. Last checked 4 October 2026.
Boeing
The Renton and Everett single aisle and widebody lines, plus the legacy types still carrying most of the world's traffic.
737 MAX
MAX 7, MAX 8, MAX 9, MAX 10
The FAA's Corrective Action Review Board concluded on 2 October 2026 that the flight management computer software defect behind the MAX 10 certification pause is not a sa...
737 NG
737-600, -700, -800, -900ER
The NG fleet is where the bear strap cracking now driving MAX inspections first appeared, which makes this an active structures story rather than a legacy one.
787 Dreamliner
787-8, -9, -10
Germany's Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation, the BFU, said in an interim report on 28 September 2026 that brake pedal movement on the captain's side was r...
777 and 777X
777-200ER, -300ER, 777-8, 777-9, 777-8F
The FAA adopted a new Airworthiness Directive on 28 September 2026 covering all in service 777-200, 777-200LR, 777-300, 777-300ER and 777F models, after an overheated AC ...
767
767-300ER, -300F, KC-46A
A 21 Air Boeing 767 freighter operating for Amazon Air overran the runway on landing at Miami International on 6 September 2026 and caught fire. Five people on the ground...
747
747-400F, 747-8F, 747-8I
The FAA has adopted a new Airworthiness Directive covering certain 747-8F aircraft, prompted by reports of cracking in stringers and splice fittings at stringer splices a...
Airbus
The A220 through A380 range, from the Mirabel single aisle to the widebodies out of Toulouse and Hamburg.
A220
A220-100, A220-300
Airbus cut the A220 rate target again. The plan is now 12 per month during 2026, down from an earlier 14, against current output of roughly seven to eight.
A320neo family
A319neo, A320neo, A321neo, A321XLR
The GTF powder metal inspection campaign is still the defining issue. Roughly 770 GTF powered jets were in storage at the end of 2025, and groundings fell about 15 percen...
A320ceo family
A318, A319, A320, A321
CFM56 powered flights across the A320 and 737 families fell from about 43 percent of activity in 2024 to around 42 percent in 2026, and V2500 from 23 to 22 percent. That ...
A330 and A330neo
A330-200, -300, A330-800, -900, A330 MRTT
A330neo deliveries were nearly halted for three months by a quality escape on the horizontal tail plane. Zero aircraft were delivered in June and July 2026, and one in Au...
A350
A350-900, A350-1000, A350F
The first A350F, registered F-WXLD, made its maiden flight from Toulouse on 29 September 2026, a flight of four hours and eleven minutes that opens a certification campai...
A380
A380-800
Emirates plans to grow its active A380 fleet from roughly 94 to about 110 aircraft by the end of 2026, reversing the retirement narrative.
Embraer
The São José dos Campos regional jet line, still the only serious competitor in the 70 to 150 seat market.
E-Jet E2
E175-E2, E190-E2, E195-E2
Embraer delivered its 2,000th E-Jet on 2 September 2026, an E195-E2 handed to launch customer Azul, a milestone across the E1 and E2 families combined.
E-Jet E1
E170, E175, E190, E195
GE CF34 engine shortages are the binding constraint on E175 production. Embraer's chief executive has said the delivery target is in jeopardy because GE is delivering lat...
Bombardier
The CRJ line, sold to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2020 and out of production, but still a large part of the North American regional fleet.