Category: Commercial

Archer Aviation received FAA certification to launch its pilot training academy. This certification, referred to as Part 141, is granted to a flight school by the FAA, signifying that it is a formally recognized and regulated institution for pilot training.

With this certificate, Archer can now train and qualify pilots as part of its newly launched training academy, with plans to build a pipeline of pilots in preparation for its planned commercial air taxis services with its Midnight aircraft.

Archer has now received the third certificate required by the FAA for it to launch air taxi operations when Midnight receives its Type Certification. It previously received its Part 135 Air Carrier & Operator Certificate from the FAA in June of 2024 and prior to that, in February of 2024, its Part 145 certification. Part 142 is the fourth and final certificate Archer will be pursuing—for which the application has already begun.

The FAA granted Archer its Part 141 certificate during a ceremony at Archer’s flight test facility in Salinas, CA. At the ceremony, Archer’s Chief Operating Officer of UAM, Tom Anderson, and Chief People Officer, Tosha Perkins, were joined by Thom Holden, Manager of the FAA’s San Jose Flight Standards District Office, and David Pease, an FAA Aviation Safety Inspector.

“Thanks to the hard work of the Archer team and the FAA, Archer now has its Part 141 certificate in hand—yet another step towards our commercial launch. I look forward to seeing the results of this effort in the form of talented pilots who can one day be at the controls of our Midnight aircraft. The FAA continues to be an invaluable partner as we work together toward the safe entry of air taxis into the national airspace,” said Archer Chief Operating Officer, UAM Tom Anderson.

Archer’s goal is to transform urban travel, replacing 60–90-minute commutes by car with estimated 10–20-minute electric air taxi flights that are safe, sustainable, low noise and cost-competitive with ground transportation. Archer’s Midnight is a piloted, four-passenger aircraft designed to perform rapid back-to-back flights with minimal charge time between flights.

British Airways is executing a strategic expansion of its maintenance capabilities through the acquisition of Boeing’s hangar facility and MRO operations at London Gatwick Airport (LGW). The acquisition will establish British Airways Engineering Gatwick (BAEG), which will join other existing engineering sites including those in South Wales (BAEW) and Glasgow (BAMG). It will also bring specialized maintenance expertise and advanced facilities under control of the airline, which it says will enhance their technical service capabilities.

British Airways Chief Technical Officer Andy Best confirmed the importance of the acquisition of Boeing’s Gatwick facility, saying the integration of specialized maintenance expertise and advanced hangar facilities into BA’s engineering portfolio. The expansion strengthens BA’s fleet reliability while enhancing customer service capabilities, Best emphasized. He also welcomed the transfer of Boeing’s Licensed Aircraft Engineers with more staff to be hired in the future.

“Today’s announcement will help us to be the very best in the business by bringing in the skills and expertise of former Boeing colleagues and adding a large, modern hangar to our portfolio of engineering facilities. It will support the reliability of our entire fleet, which is good news for our customers and colleagues,” said Best. “I’d like to welcome our new colleagues to British Airways, including highly-skilled and experienced Licensed Aircraft Engineers. I’m delighted that, subject to consultation, they will be joining the BA family and I hope to be recruiting more people in the future.”

Use of the Boeing facility will allow BA to carry out minor maintenance on Boeing 777s at the airport and in-source scheduled heavy maintenance on its Airbus A320 and A321 fleet. Last year, the carrier announced a multi-billion pound investment in its engineering maintenance facility at Cardiff Airport.

According to Canadian officials a plane crashed at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday afternoon.

The plane crash, which involved a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to Toronto, was first reported by CTV. A fresh snow had fallen in the area recently and images of the aircraft show the snowy surface of the airport. The aircraft was operated by Delta subsidiary, Endeavor Air.

Regional police say and investigation is ensuing and so far the number of injuries is unknown, however paramedics told reporters that there were eight injuries confirmed at that time. Of those eight reported injuries, one was “critical and the others were mild to moderate.”

Pictures posted on social media show the plane upside down on a snow-covered runway. Toronto Pearson Airport confirmed the crash on X.

“Toronto Pearson is aware of an incident upon landing involving a Delta Airlines plane arriving from Minneapolis,” the airport’s post read. “Emergency teams are responding.” The airports post added all of the plane’s passengers and crew “are accounted for.”

A statement released by Delta said, “Delta is aware of reports of Endeavor Flight 4819 operating from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Toronto-Pearson International Airport as involved in an incident. We are working to confirm any details and will share the most current information on news.delta.com as soon as it becomes available.”

Liebherr-Aerospace and Mohammed Bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH), the aerospace platform of Dubai dedicated to the advancement of the aviation industry, signed an agreement for the new Liebherr Service Center at Dubai South during the MRO Middle East exhibition 2025 in Dubai (UAE).

Liebherr-Aerospace is enhancing its aftermarket service capacities with a new 2,400 m² facility, planned to be put into operation in early 2026. The new facility will cater to the Middle East’sgrowing demand of aftermarket repair capacity for Liebherr products that are on board a wide variety of commercial aircraft, business jets and helicopters. The new facility will be an EASAPart 145 certified Service Center with focus on air management systems components repair.

“The expansion of our MRO capacities is one of the key elements for continuous extension of our customer support and services portfolio in the Middle East region. It enables us to service more components in-house and in region, thus eliminating logistic routings and in parallel reducing turnaround times,” commented Alex Vlielander, chief customer officer at Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS.

In his comments, Tahnoon Saif, CEO of MBRAH said: “We are pleased to sign this agreement with Liebherr-Aerospace. This partnership underlines our position in attracting the top players in the aviation sector to establish their presence at Dubai South and operate in an integrated economic environment where they can connect with international markets. We will spare no effort in supporting their expansion endeavors, in line with our mandate to solidify and cement Dubai’s position on the world aviation map.”