On 19 July 2024, a faulty software update from the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike caused millions of Windows computers to crash simultaneously around the world. The failure brought airlines, banks, hospitals, and broadcasters to a standstill, and led to the cancellation of more than 5,000 flights globally in a single day.
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On 18 June 2024, Boeing’s chief executive Dave Calhoun appeared before a US Senate subcommittee investigating the aerospace manufacturer’s safety culture and quality control failures. The hearing, which featured new whistleblower allegations released just hours earlier, represented one of the most significant moments of congressional accountability in the company’s turbulent recent history.
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On 21 May 2024, Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 encountered severe turbulence over Myanmar, killing one passenger and injuring 104 others in one of the most widely reported aviation safety incidents of the year. The event — the first turbulence-related fatality in commercial aviation in more than two decades — refocused industry and regulatory attention on the hazards of convective weather at cruise altitude and the limitations of current turbulence forecasting technology.
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On 24 April 2024, the US Department of Transportation announced a new rule requiring airlines to automatically refund passengers when flights are cancelled or significantly delayed. For years, airlines had made passengers request refunds manually, and many tried to offer travel vouchers instead of cash.
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On 11 March 2024, a LATAM Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner operating a scheduled service from Sydney to Auckland suddenly pitched nose-down in cruise flight, throwing unsecured passengers and crew members violently against overhead bins and the cabin ceiling, injuring more than 50 people. The incident attracted immediate global media attention — but it was the cause established by investigators that truly shocked the aviation community: a flight attendant had accidentally pressed a button on the captain’s motorised seat while delivering a meal to the cockpit.
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In late 2023 and through 2024, an engine manufacturing fault forced airlines around the world to ground hundreds of Airbus narrowbody jets. The problem affected the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G geared turbofan engine, used on the A320neo and A321neo — two of the most popular aircraft types in service today.
Continue reading Pratt & Whitney Recall Grounds Hundreds of Jets