1+ hour, 17+ min ago (285+ words) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the US of making a "colonial threat" to his nation after President Trump called for the closing of the airspace above the socialist state. The country's government said it "forcefully rejects" Trump's claim about closing the airspace, branding it an attempt to undermine Venezuela's "territorial integrity, aeronautical security and full sovereignty," according to a statement from its Foreign Ministry Saturday. "Such declarations constitute a hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act," the statement continued. The leftist leadership was speaking after President Trump stepped up pressure on the Caracas regime in a post on his Truth Social platform. "To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY," Trump said in a post Saturday. Iran, one of Venezuela's biggest allies, condemned the president's announcement…...

1+ day, 19+ hour ago (401+ words) Airbus grounded over 6,000 of its widely used jets for an urgent software update after one suddenly lost altitude mid-flight " a decision that could throw the global holiday travel season into chaos. The aerospace giant said Friday its A320 fleet will be kept off the runway after uncovering a software flaw that could leave pilots unable to steer during solar storms " and urged all worldwide airlines using the jet to immediately update their systems to guard against radiation interference. About 3,000 A320s were airborne when the grounding was announced. "Analysis of a recent event involving an A320 Family aircraft has revealed that intense solar radiation may corrupt data critical to the function of flight controls," the company said in its bulletin. "Airbus has consequently identified a significant number of A320 Family aircraft currently in-service which may be impacted. Airbus acknowledges these recommendations will lead to operational…...

1+ day, 20+ hour ago (830+ words) Europe's'Airbus'said on Friday it was ordering immediate repairs to 6,000 of its widely used A320 family of jets in a sweeping'recall'affecting more than half the global fleet, threatening upheaval during the busiest travel weekend of the year in the U.S. and sparking disruption worldwide. The setback appears to be among the largest'recalls affecting'Airbus'in its 55-year history and comes weeks after the A320'overtook the Boeing 737'as the most-delivered model. At the time'Airbus'issued its bulletin to the plane's more than 350 operators, some 3,000 A320-family jets were in the air. The fix mainly involves reverting to earlier software and is relatively simple, but must be carried out before the planes can fly again, other than repositioning to repair centers, according to the bulletin to airlines seen by Reuters. Numerous airlines from the U.S. to South America, Europe and India said late on Friday the repairs could potentially cause…...

2+ day, 17+ hour ago (239+ words) UPS Airlines has grounded a fleet of aircraft indefinitely for continued inspections and possible repairs after one of its cargo planes crashed in Kentucky and exploded in a massive, deadly fireball. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet will be kept off the runway through the busy holiday season as officials work to meet Federal Aviation Administration guidelines in the wake of the Nov. 4 tragedy, which killed 14 people, airline president Bill Moore told employees in an internal memo Wednesday. "Regarding the MD-11 fleet, Boeing's ongoing evaluation shows that inspections and potential repairs will be more extensive than initially expected," Moore explained in his letter. The process is expected to take several months as UPS works to "ensure that every aircraft is safe," a company spokesperson said, noting that contingency plans will be used to maintain deliveries operations. The fleet was initially grounded after an…...

4+ day, 44+ min ago (232+ words) An Amsterdam-bound flight was canceled on Tuesday night after a passenger panicked on board when he claimed to see a weapon, leading him to open the emergency door as the plane was preparing to take off, police said. KLM Flight 622 was taxiing at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport when Johannes Van Heertum, 48, suddenly called 911 to report a problem, according to Atlanta police. "Van Heertum believed he saw another passenger with a weapon and appeared to have panicked, ultimately opening the emergency exit door and deploying the inflatable slide while the plane was taxiing," Atlanta police said. The panicked man "appeared to be experiencing a mental health episode," officials added, with responding officers removing Van Heertum from the plane to be examined at the International Terminal Precinct. The 48-year-old was then transported to Clayton County Jail and charged with reckless conduct,…...

1+ week, 10+ hour ago (326+ words) A number of'international carriers'canceled flights to and from Venezuela Saturday after a warning from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of a "potentially hazardous situation" in the region. TAP Air Portugal said it had canceled its flights through Caracas for Saturday and Tuesday, telling Reuters, "This decision follows information issued by the United States aviation authorities, which indicates that safety conditions in Venezuelan airspace are not guaranteed." Iberia Airlines of Spain said it was canceling its flights to Venezuela indefinitely starting Monday. "The company will assess the situation to decide when to resume flights to that country," the airline told'Reuters. South American'airlines Gol out of Brazil and Colombia's Avianca also canceled their Caracas flights Saturday. Colombia's Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement there were "potential risks" in continuing to fly to the Maiquetia area of Venezuela, near Caracas. Caribbean Airlines…...

1+ week, 20+ hour ago (289+ words) The Ukrainian military shared dramatic video of a military strike appearing to decimate Russian air-defense and military assets. The elite "Ghosts" unit carried out several successful attacks targeting key components of the Russia defenses in the contested Crimea region, the Kyiv Post reported. A compilation of apparent radar videos of the bombings was shared to the official Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's HUR Telegram account on Friday set to the score of a cover of Justin Timberlake song "Cry Me a River" " in an apparent pun on the location of the attack. The "Ghosts" unit allegedly destroyed a Ka-27 naval multi-purpose helicopter, a "Lira-A10" airfield radar system, a "Nebo-U" radar and a P-18 Terek radar, according to the report. Video further showed the destruction of a dome-structured "Nebo-SV" radar which gave the impression of the Death Star from the "Star Wars…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (146+ words) The Trump administration released another trove of documents related to the final flight and disappearance of Amelia Earhart more than eight decades ago, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday. The Trump administration released another trove of documents related to the final flight and disappearance of Amelia Earhart more than eight decades ago, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Friday. "These records include reports, maps, and other documents tracing Earhart's final journey, her last known communications and location, and the initial search following her disappearance," she wrote on X. The trailblazing aviator and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared in 1937 while she was attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe. The tranch also offers insight into weather and plane conditions at the time they vanished, as well as "subsequent inquiries and theories regarding her disappearance," Gabbard's…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (406+ words) Two men walked away from a harrowing plane crash in Missouri unscathed after the pilot's quick thinking gave them time to deploy the parachute and cushion their landing in a tree line Tuesday evening. Their small aircraft slammed into a group of trees near Wilson Avenue and Wild Horse Creek Road in Chesterfield around 6 p.m. local time, local outlet KSDK reported. The two men on board walked away in what Chesterfield Councilwoman Merrell Hansen called a bona fide "miracle," the station reported. "They got up and walked away, so today was a miracle," she said. The plane was heading back to the Spirit of St. Louis Airport when it suddenly started to go down as it flew at roughly 1,300 feet, First Alert 4 reported. The pilot managed to deploy a parachute so they could better guide the plane into a tree line,…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (408+ words) A plane carrying four members of Congress to Washington, DC, to vote on ending the government shutdown was diverted due to a "disruptive passenger" who later declared to fellow fliers, "We live in a fascist state." The flight had been in the air for about 2 hours and 41 minutes when it was diverted to Kansas City International Airport, landing safely at around 6:15 p.m., according to FlightAware. A video posted by another passenger on the flight after the emergency landing shows Kansas City police officers boarding the Airbus A320 and escorting an unidentified woman off the plane. As police led the passenger off the plane, she is heard apologizing to her fellow fliers and left with a parting message. "We live in a fascist state," she told the flight. Roughly an hour after the diversion, the plane took off from Kansas City and touched…...