AvTalk Episode 7: Meltdowns and Bans

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In episode 7, we discuss the flight ban affecting Qatar and how it is reshaping air traffic in the region. We also attempt to understand the IT problems that forced British Airways to cancel a full day of flights at London-Heathrow.

Qatar Flight Ban

Following the severing of diplomatic relations with Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates banned all flights to and from Qatar and overflights by Qatar-registered aircraft. Restrictions put in place by Bahrain leave Qatar Airways with one route in and one route out of Doha. We discuss the particulars and what effects the ban is having on air traffic in the region.

For more on the Qatar flight ban, see our in-depth blog post

British Airways’ IT Meltdown

We try to understand the British Airways IT meltdown that stranded thousands of passengers and created headaches for the better part of a week.

Quick Bits of Good News

We leave bans and meltdowns behind for a few small pieces of good news as well.

✈️ The first Airbus A321neo (N921VA) entered service with Virgin America.

✈️ We set a single-day tracking record on 26 May, tracking 182,790 flights.

✈️ Stratolaunch rolls out

✈️ Follow Virgin Galactic’s White Knight Two and VSS Unity.

Upcoming in a Special Episode 8

We’ll have an in-depth discussion of Air Traffic Control privatization in our next episode with guests who know much more than Jason and Ian. Tune in then!

Let Us Know What You Think

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