• Tim Clark helped set up Emirates in 1985 and has been its president since 2003.
• The airline flies from Dubai to 12 US airports as well as dozens of cities globally.
• Clark says if a business "recognizes and respects" its workers, "they look after you" in return.

Dubai's population has grown about 10-fold since Emirates was founded 40 years ago. Among the airline's founding team was Tim Clark, who has been its president for more than two decades.

At the beginning, the nascent carrier wasn't "taken very seriously," he told Business Insider in a wide-ranging interview last month.

That began to change once competitors and aircraft manufacturers realized Dubai was ideally positioned roughly halfway between Europe and the Middle East — and that Emirates was determined to shake up long-haul aviation.

"We were considered to be lunatics, but we did manage to persuade the powers that be in both Airbus and Boeing that we were deadly serious," Clark says.

As well as aircraft that could fly non-stop from Dubai to the likes of Los Angeles, Sydney and Auckland, he wanted cabins that were closer to private jets.

That led to innovations such as first-class suites with sliding doors in the late 1990s that are now "de rigueur everywhere. And I wish I had a patent on those, but we never did. And now they're in business class as well. So you see our footprints everywhere."

The rise of Emirates as a global aviation force mirrors the rise of Dubai, which Clark calls a "global metropolis." It's become "a great place for doing business" as well as serving the rest of the Middle East and North Africa region, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Its 96 flights a week from 12 US airports to Dubai has also made it easier for Americans to get to destinations such as Zanzibar, Mauritius or the Seychelles. Clark thinks there's a lot more growth to come in North America: "We have only really just started. We now have multiple points there, but there are so many more coming."

Emirates' expansion has been constrained to some degree by the availability of new aircraft. Delivery delays for Boeing's new 777X has prompted the airline to spend $4.5 billion "gutting all the old 777s and retrofitting them," Clark says. To maintain its fleet of about 250 passenger jets "you've got to retrofit," he adds.

It's also upgrading many of its A380s, which it first took delivery of in 2008. Later to the premium economy party than other airlines, it only made its Emirates debut in August 2022.

Business class, however, has always accounted for a considerable part of the double-decker Airbus — even if Clark dislikes the name.

When corporate travel budgets were slashed after the 2008 financial crisis, he says older customers in particular started flying in business "in a manner that we just couldn't believe."

People "want to go and see and enjoy … that's why I remain optimistic that demand will continue at the pace it has, constrained by all these we've talked about in regards to supply."

Emirates consistently ranks as one of the world's best airlines, though last year, rival Middle Eastern carrier Qatar Airways was crowned the world's best airline by Skytrax. Qatar pushed Singapore Airlines into second place, while Emirates ranked third.

One of Emirates' advantages over most competitors is being able to recruit its 23,000 cabin crew from anywhere in the world. "That is part of the essence of our model," as Clark puts it.

He describes Dubai as a "really popular city to be in" for many workers — and doubtless the tax-free salaries, generous bonuses and accommodation offer are part of the attraction for some too.

While its training program is "very, very demanding" and being "refreshed all the time," Clark adds: "We try to think that by delivering a fairly innovative stack of products, which we try to change out regularly, that the kids are actually really interested in what they're doing. And they like what they're doing," he says. "We look after them. We care for their welfare."

Asked about where Boeing lost its way, his advice to CEO Kelly Ortberg is to treat workers better. Clark said that if a company "recognizes and respects" its people, "they look after you. I promise you, they'll be doing much more than you asked them to do, simply because they're so proud of being in a company that looks after them."

Clark has been in the airline business for more than half a century, starting off at British Caledonian in 1972 before moving to Gulf Air in Bahrain for a decade. So why is he still working at the age of 75?

He says he considered stepping down during the pandemic but adds: "I just couldn't leave it. I was determined to get the business back on track and be profitable again, and eventually hand it over to the team of people I'm working with. These guys I've been working with 20 years, some of them.

"Frankly, will the business be successful with this team of people working? Of course it will … so I'll find a balance at some point, but I will go."

The airline posted a pre-tax profit of $2.6 billion for the six months to September, up 2%, on revenues of almost $17 billion, and Clark expects "another very good year" in 2025 but notes: "Anything can happen. Well, airlines are an unpredictable business, aren't they?"

• Canada announced an investment of $2.75 billion into a new high-speed rail network.
• It would be faster than any other train in North America but slower than those in Europe and Asia.
• The announcement comes as the Trump administration criticized California's High-Speed Rail project.

Canada plans to spend billions of dollars on a high-speed railway from Toronto to Quebec City, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday.

It's set to reach speeds of up to 186 miles per hour, which would make it faster than any train currently operating in North America. Amtrak's Acela travels up to 150 miles per hour.

The Canadian government said the new rail service, called Alto, will halve journey times. Montreal to Toronto, a journey of roughly 300 miles, would take three hours, it added.

Other stops along the route include Peterborough, Ottawa, Laval, and Trois-Rivières.

The new train line could make train travel more competitive with flying. A flight between Montreal and Toronto takes around an hour and a half. Factoring in airport security and earlier arrival times, the train could be more convenient for many passengers.

Alto will be developed by a consortium of companies, including Air Canada and SNCF, France's state-owned railway company.

The Canadian government is investing 3.9 billion Canadian dollars, around $2.75 billion, over six years — in addition to the roughly $262 million provided in its 2024 budget.

It says construction will create 51,000 jobs, and the new rail network could boost GDP annually by up to 35 billion Canadian dollars, around $25 billion.

Trudeau said Alto "will transform our economy — drastically shortening commute times for millions of Canadians, turbocharging economic growth, creating thousands of good-paying jobs, improving productivity, and reducing emissions."

"Montreal to Toronto in three hours — you can't beat that," he added.

North America would still lag behind other high-speed railway projects around the world.

Italy's Frecciarossa 1000 has a maximum speed of 249 miles per hour, while France's TGV Lyria — operated by SNCF — can reach 199 miles per hour.

Japan's Shinkansen, or bullet train, operates up to 200 miles per hour. The world's fastest train, the Shanghai Maglev, can reach speeds of up to 285 miles per hour on its short journeys between the city and its airport.

Canada's announcement comes as President Donald Trump has criticized plans for a high-speed railway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The project targeted connecting the two cities in under three hours at speeds of 220 miles per hour — but has suffered from delays and overspending. Initially set to be complete by 2020 for $33 billion, costs are now estimated to be as high as $128 billion.

Earlier this month, Trump called it "the worst managed project I think I've ever seen," — and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday that federal funding for the project is going to be reviewed, NBC Bay Area reported.

• Aircraft manufacturing could go "from a duopoly to a potential triopoly," the Airbus CEO said.
• Guillaume Faury was asked about the prospect of China's Comac becoming a serious competitor.
• Comac is ramping up production of its C919 jet, similar to the A320 family and Boeing 737 Max.

The CEO of Airbus said Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac could disrupt the dominance of his company and Boeing.

At a press conference on Thursday after announcing Airbus' annual results, Guillaume Faury said the sector could go "from a duopoly to a potential triopoly."

He was asked about Comac's plans to increase production of its C919 jet — a single-aisle aircraft similar to the best-selling Airbus A320 family and Boeing's 737 Max.

"Other aircraft manufacturers have tried to enter into this very competitive space in the past from other countries, not necessarily successfully, but I believe Comac is more likely to succeed," Faury said.

He pointed to its "privileged access" to the Chinese market, which he said accounted for a fifth of global aircraft demand.

Faury added that this will also "probably give them the room" to export to other countries "when the product is mature."

"They have to do a certain ramp-up first — in the current supply environment, ramp-up is not an easy task — but we take them seriously," the Airbus CEO said. "We consider this is one more competitor in this space."

Data from ch-aviation shows there are 13 Comac C919s in service, operated by Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern.

There are more than 1,000 planes on order, Comac chairman He Dongfeng said in 2023, Chinese media reported.

Comac has also held discussions with Saudi officials and Brazil's Total Linhas Aereas, Reuters reported.

The C919 is yet to be certified by regulators in the US or Europe. Comac hoped to win EU approval this year, Aviation Week reported last May.

Meanwhile, Airbus is planning to increase its A320-family production capacity in China. Faury said the planemaker hopes the second final assembly line at its Tianjin plant will come online this year.

Airbus reported a 6% increase in revenue for 2024 of 69.2 billion euros ($72.2 billion). Earnings per share rose 12% to 5.36 euros ($5.60).

Its consolidated order book valued at 629 billion euros at the end of 2024, up from 554 billion euros.

Airbus aims to deliver around 820 commercial aircraft in 2025, up by 54 from last year.

Shares fell almost 1% in Paris but have gained 15% over the past 12 months, in contrast to Boeing's 8.5% decline.

Defense and space woes

It was a testing year for Airbus' defense and space division. While its order intake was a record 16.7 billion euros, it reported a loss of 566 million euros — largely due to a 1.3 billion euro charge on its space programs.

"We are in a situation where some US players are disrupting the ecosystem and going at scale on new technologies," Faury said.

He added that Airbus was in discussions with Thales and Leonardo about consolidating the European space sector.

In defense, Airbus also took a charge of 121 million euros on its A400M program. The company said there were "uncertainties" on the number of orders.

• Two Transatlantic flights to Toronto U-turned over the ocean on Monday after a Delta flight crashed.
• More than 40 other flights had to divert when Toronto Pearson International Airport closed.
• Flights to nowhere are a pain for passengers but are often the best option for airlines.

Two transatlantic flights to nowhere were among dozens of planes that diverted due to Monday's Delta plane crash in Toronto.

Toronto Pearson Airport temporarily closed both its runways after a Bombardier CRJ900 flipped over and lost both its wings. There were 80 people on board, 21 of whom were injured with 19 released from hospital, Delta Air Lines said.

A British Airways Boeing 777 was flying from London to Toronto when the incident occurred.

BA Flight 99 had flown for three hours before U-turning over the Atlantic Ocean, according to Flightradar24 data.

It landed back at London Heathrow around midnight local time — six hours after taking off.

The flight to Toronto typically takes around eight hours.

Another Toronto-bound flight, from Lisbon and operated by TAP Air Portugal, appeared to fly around two hours across the Atlantic before starting to change direction, per Flightradar24.

It appeared to be initially set to divert to the Azores — a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic — but ultimately landed back in Lisbon around eight hours after taking off.

TAP and British Airways did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Flightradar24 said it tracked an additional 44 flights that diverted due to Monday's plane crash.

Eleven of those diverted to nearby Montreal, as well as nine to Ottawa, six to Hamilton, and three to each of Chicago O'Hare and Pittsburgh.

As well as being annoying for passengers, diversions can also be costly for airlines — with knock-on effects on their flight schedules.

While flying hundreds or even thousands of miles back over the ocean may look odd, it is relatively common. This is because it is easier for airlines to reroute and accommodate passengers and crew at a hub airport.

In incidents like this, airports closer to the destination may also have limited capacity to handle additional flights.

• President Donald Trump toured a Boeing plane Saturday to highlight delays to the new Air Force One.
• The tour of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet took place at Palm Beach airport.
• Trump renegotiated the new Air Force One deal in his first term, but it may not be ready until 2028.

President Donald Trump is again pressuring Boeing to ensure it promptly delivers the next Air Force One.

On Saturday, he toured a Boeing plane to "check out the new hardware/technology," Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, told Reuters and the Associated Press.

"This highlights the project's failure to deliver a new Air Force One on time as promised," he added.

The tour took place on a Boeing 747 parked at West Palm Beach International Airport. Photos show Trump's motorcade parked next to the jet.

Speeding up the delivery of the presidential jet appears to be a key target for Trump.

Boeing was first tapped in 2015 to deliver two new presidential aircraft, known as the VC-25B — an upgraded, militarized version of the 747-8.

In his first term, Trump renegotiated the contract with Boeing over concerns about escalating costs. He threatened to cancel the program if it exceeded $4 billion.

The president appeared enthusiastic about the new planes, showing ABC his red, white, and blue livery design in 2019.

It was initially set to be delivered in 2024, but the timeframe has been pushed back to 2027 or 2028.

Since returning to office, Trump has continued to signal his passion for the new Air Force One.

At his inaugural ball, Trump cut a cake adorned with a model of the jet in his original livery design.

Last month, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the planemaker was working with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to accelerate the program.

"The president wants the airplane sooner, and so we're working with Elon and the team to figure what can we do to pull up the schedule of that aircraft," Ortberg said.

Boeing has reported losses of more than $2 billion on the program.

The Air Force has said Trump's red, white, and blue design would cause further delays because a thermal study found the dark blue could result in added heat in some environments.

Joe Biden then selected a light-blue color in line with every other presidential jet since the Kennedy era — but Trump appears to continue to prefer his original design.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Thousands of flights were delayed as winter storms hit the US and Canada over the holiday weekend.
• That included more than 2,000 at major airports around New York and Washington, DC on Sunday.
• Half of departing flights at the world's busiest airport, Atlanta, were also delayed on Sunday.

Winter storms saw thousands of flights delayed, primarily across the East Coast, over the Presidents Day weekend.

Major airports in New York, Newark, and Washington, DC, saw around 40% of their flights delayed on Sunday — totaling over 2,000, per data from FlightAware. Around 850 flights were canceled.

Nearly half of flights departing Boston and Toronto were also delayed, around 260 at each airport, according to FlightAware.

The National Weather Service warned of wind gusts over 60 miles per hour, while parts of Boston saw six inches of snowfall.

The Midwest was also struck by the polar vortex, with temperatures in the low single digits. Strong winds could also make it feel as low as negative 25 degrees Fahrenheit, CBS Chicago reported.

Around 1,000 flights were delayed at Chicago O'Hare — including half of those departing, FlightAware data showed. Two-thirds of Detroit's departing flights were also delayed.

Bad weather also impacted flights on Saturday, with more than 70% of flights from Denver delayed.

Further south, Florida was hit by thunderstorms over the weekend. The National Weather Service also issued a tornado watch.

Over 1,000 flights were delayed across the state on Sunday, including two in every five at Orlando and a third of those at Miami, per FlightAware.

Its data also showed more than 500 departing flights, or half of those scheduled, were delayed at Atlanta's Hartfield-Jackson — the world's busiest airport and a hub for Delta Air Lines.

In Atlanta, wind gusts peaked at 69 miles per hour and one man died when a tree fell on his home, a local Fox affiliate reported.

Flight delays can be irritating for passengers, but also costly for airlines — with knock-on effects on their schedules.

Delays are continuing into Monday, though as of around 6:00 a.m. ET, they were much less widespread, with only around 20 flights out of Toronto Pearson delayed, and fewer than 10% of flights delayed at most major East Coast airports.

• I toured one of Emirates' new Airbus A350 jets in Edinburgh.
• The sleek new aircraft features 4K screens and electronic window blinds in every class.
• The A350's main competitor, the Boeing 777X, suffers yearslong delays to its launch.

Emirates is building a more diverse fleet, with the Airbus A350 becoming its first new aircraft type since 2008.

Business Insider toured the aircraft earlier this month at Edinburgh Airport. The first route the airline started using the A350 on was Dubai to the Scottish capital, which launched on January 3.

Emirates has also contended with delays to the Boeing 777X — a modernized version of the best-selling wide-body airliner, that competes with the A350.

Emirates president Tim Clark previously told BI the airline is spending $4.5 billion retrofitting older 777s in response to the delays.

The Dubai-based airline previously only operated the Boeing 777 and double-decker Airbus A380.

With sleek interiors, an upgraded entertainment system with Bluetooth, and new window blind tech, take a look around Emirates' newest jet.

From a lounge in Edinburgh Airport, we watched the Emirates Airbus A350 arrive from Dubai.

This A350-900 was delivered to Emirates just two weeks earlier. It's the third of 65 on order.

With room for 312 passengers, it has a maximum range of 7,700 miles — enough to fly from Los Angeles to Sydney.

The airline expects to have 21 A350s by March 2026. The first Boeing 777X isn't expected to be delivered until 2026 — six years later than initially scheduled.

"For Emirates, it's a new era. After COVID, the activity changed significantly, and it was also for us a good moment to change also our fleet, to refurbish and retrofit our aircraft," said Thierry Aucoc, Emirates' senior vice president for commercial (west).

"We consider that Emirates has to maintain a certain standard. We want to be an exceptional airline."

Emirates has announced its first nine planned routes, with five already in operation.

Emirates is using the wide-body aircraft on both long-haul and short-haul routes.

The airline doesn't have any single-aisle aircraft, so even regional flights have amenities like lie-flat seats and in-flight entertainment.

My tour started in the premium economy cabin, which has 21 seats.

Emirates was a late adopter of the premium economy cabin, introducing it in 2022.

In this image, you can also see how the A350 has higher ceilings and larger overhead bins than the previous generation of airliners.

A couple of meals were laid out to show what's on offer to premium-economy passengers.

In premium economy, meals are served on proper crockery rather than the plastic trays of economy. Although, unlike many other airlines, both cabins offer metal cutlery.

The seats, arranged in a 2-3-2 layout, were inspired by the Mercedes Benz S-Class.

Emirates first collaborated with the carmaker in 2014, to inspire its first-class product.

I got to test out the comfortable recline and leg rest.

There were several flight attendants throughout the cabins who explained the various features of the seats and service. They came across as both passionate and friendly.

Emirates' A350 has 259 economy-class seats, arranged in a 3-3-3 layout.

The seats are 18.4 inches wide.

The A350 can be configured in a 10-abreast layout, but this would reduce seat width. It has a narrower cabin than the Boeing 777X, where a 3-4-3 layout would be more common.

Even economy has touches of luxury such as electric window blinds.

Typically, you'll only find electronic blinds in business or first class. One exception is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, but even that uses electronically dimmable windows rather than motorized blinds.

The A350's aerBlade technology can be controlled by the cabin crew for takeoff and landing. It is also set to be installed in Emirates' 777X planes.

In economy, there's only a single blind — but premium economy and business class passengers also have the option of a shade.

Emirates also says its TVs offer the best image quality of any aircraft.

Emirates is already known for its broad selection of movies and TV shows on offer, but the 4K screens take the resolution to another level.

It might not be evident in photos, but I was definitely impressed by the crisp colors and resolution.

There are USB-A and USB-C outlets — plus, you can connect your own Bluetooth headphones.

Economy seats also benefit from the same 13.3-inch screen as in premium economy.

I found the legroom was generous, but by the window, the bracket was located a bit awkwardly.

The seat pitch, or distance between the same spot on one seat and the one in front, is 31 to 32 inches.

The seatback table also has a sleek wood finish.

I thought this was a thoughtful touch compared to the typical dull, gray plastic — helping economy feel a little less like cattle class.

The airline also gives out free toys to kids traveling in economy.

The bags include soft toys, blankets, activities, puzzles, and games.

Finally, it was time to explore the cream of the crop in business class.

Below the tree design, there was a countertop with bowls of snacks.

The same Mercedes-Benz seat design added to the feeling of luxury.

The cabin is arranged in a 1-2-1 layout so every seat has direct aisle access — unlike some of Emirates' older planes in a 2-3-2 arrangement, but retrofits are ongoing to update this.

On the console, there's a touchscreen controller and a minibar.

As well as a wireless charging port on the console, there's an international charging outlet, and sockets for USB-C and USB-A cables.

I had a moment to test it and was impressed with the space and large screen.

Business class suites have a seat pitch of 44 inches, while the TV screens are 20 inches.

I also liked that the footwell was a regular shape. Some airlines' are more askew, which can make things a bit uncomfortable when lying down.

The seats lie flat — but don't have sliding doors for privacy.

Sliding doors are becoming more common in business class, but Emirates only has them in first class — which isn't offered on the A350.

I think this is where your seat selection is most important. The business-class layout is staggered, with the console alternating between window-side and aisle-side. Choosing the latter would allow for more privacy, which is especially helpful if you want to sleep.

Central dividers can be fully lowered for a more intimate experience if you're traveling together.

On the left is one of the airline's most popular meal choices: Arabic mezze.

While the Boeing 777X awaits certification, the A350 gives a taste of what it could look like.

More fuel-efficient engines reduce the operating cost for airlines and help the environment. But these newer jets also make the experience more comfortable for passengers, with larger overhead bins and higher ceilings — not to mention the opportunities for new interiors and upgrades.

• The Biden administration opened a review into making airlines pay cash compensation to passengers.
• Airlines for America is asking the Trump administration to end this.
• The lobby group says it wouldn't provide any economic incentive and may increase ticket prices.

A trade group for major airlines called on the Trump administration to end a review into cash compensation for delayed passengers.

Airlines for America (A4A), which represents 10 carriers including Delta, American, and United, wrote to the Department of Transportation on Monday.

The review was set up by the Biden administration and started work in December. It is seeking consumer comments on whether passengers should get cash compensation for disruptions where the airline is at fault.

It suggested airlines should be required to pay $200 to $300 for domestic delays of at least three hours, $375 to $525 for six-hour delays, and $750 to $775 for nine-hour delays. Similar rules are in place in Canada and Europe.

However, A4A is fighting back against the proposed rules.

The lobby group warned that airlines are likely to raise ticket prices and cancel more flights in case of severe delays. "Airlines do not need further incentive to provide quality service," the letter stated.

The group's airlines already give automatic refunds if a passenger chooses not to rebook a flight, the letter said. If passengers do choose to rebook at no additional cost, the airlines provide meals or cash or vouchers for meals, hotel accommodations, and/or ground transportation.

It also said the regulations would go beyond the Department for Transportation's statutory authority.

In December, then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said compensation rules for delays "would change the economic incentive in a way that motivates airlines to do more."

The Biden administration made several efforts to issue new rules it said would give passengers more rights.

Last April, it required airlines to promptly give passengers automatic cash refunds when owed.

And in early January, the DoT fined JetBlue $2 million for operating chronically delayed flights.

In Monday's letter, A4A said a rule requiring cash compensation would be "directly contrary to President Trump's regulatory policies and directives" — noting his policy to remove unnecessary regulations.

The DoT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

• Prosecutors say an airline passenger threatened fellow travelers, flight attendants, and the captain.
• He also mocked Jewish travelers during the flight from Miami to New Jersey, an affidavit says.
• Luis Vaquero was arrested and charged in a New Jersey court with interfering with a flight crew.

An airline passenger has been criminally charged after being accused of threatening the flight's staff and passengers.

Luis Vaquero, 27, was flying from Miami to Newark, New Jersey, on Sunday when he became abusive toward fellow passengers and staff, per the complaint.

An FBI special agent's affidavit says that during the flight, Vaquero was "making threats of physical violence against a disabled minor" and "mocking a group of Jewish passengers."

The affidavit adds that a flight attendant who observed Vaquero's behavior declined to serve him alcohol after the flight's beverage service had ended. The affidavit says that Vaquero then told the staff member, "You better watch out, shit's gonna happen to you."

The affidavit says Vaquero continued to be disruptive throughout the three-hour flight, prompting the crew to ask that law enforcement be present upon arrival.

"It all culminated in a terrifying attack and attempted breach of the flight deck when witnesses say he banged on the cockpit door and confronted the pilot," Terence G. Reilly, the acting head of the FBI's Newark office said in a press release.

After the captain announced over the public address system that a passenger would be removed by law enforcement, Vaquero got up and started banging on the cockpit door while the plane was taxiing, the affidavit says.

"Upon arrival at the gate, the captain emerged from the flight deck, after which Vaquero approached the captain, screaming and threatening him until law enforcement boarded the plane and escorted Vaquero off the plane," the affidavit says.

"While issuing these threats, Vaquero's face was approximately six inches from the captain's face."

In videos obtained by law enforcement, Vauqero is also said to have threatened to break a flight attendant's jaw and used a racial slur.

The charge of interfering with a flight crew carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

"We are committed to keeping the skies safe for flying and will prosecute those who criminally interfere with the professionals responsible for ensuring passenger safety," said Vikas Khanna, the acting US attorney for New Jersey, in the press release.

It is unclear which airline the incident occurred on. American Airlines, United Airlines, and Spirit operate daily flights between Miami and Newark.

None of the three airlines immediately responded to requests for comment.

• A plane operated by a Brazilian airline collided with a vehicle on a runway.
• The Boeing 737 Max was accelerating to takeoff from Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.
• The plane was able to brake, and no injuries were reported.

A Boeing 737 Max was taking off when it collided with a vehicle on the runway.

The Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes plane was about to fly from Rio de Janeiro's international airport to Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil on Tuesday.

A video posted on X appears to show the jet accelerating down the runway when a loud noise can be heard.

The jet managed to brake before reaching the end of the runway. The airport has one of the world's longest runways at 4,000 meters (about 13,000 feet or 2.5 miles).

In an air traffic control recording published by the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, the pilots can be heard saying they had aborted the takeoff because a car was in the middle of the runway.

Other clips posted on social media appear to show emergency vehicles surrounding the 737 Max after the collision.

The airline said in a statement that the plane collided with an airport vehicle that was on the runway.

It added that all passengers and crew disembarked safely, with another flight added to Fortaleza for those who wanted to continue their journey.

No injuries were reported.

The airport didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Last month, a United Airlines plane was taking off from Chicago O'Hare Airport when it collided with a coyote on the runway, forcing it to turn back.

But collisions with other planes have become more likely in recent years, with near misses becoming increasingly common.

In December, a Southwest Airlines plane was cleared to land on a runway that was already occupied by a smaller plane — but it managed to slow down in time for both aircraft to taxi away and park.

• Boom Supersonic announced that it can fly faster than the speed of sound without a sonic boom.
• Elon Musk backed the CEO's calls for regulatory changes to allow supersonic flights over land.
• A change in regulations could help the Colorado-based planemaker attract more airline customers.

Commercial flights faster than the speed of sound have taken another step closer to reality.

Boom Supersonic announced Monday that its airliner can fly above Mach 1 without producing a sonic boom audible from the ground.

As Concorde could only fly supersonic over water, this discovery could lead to a change in aviation laws and allow domestic supersonic commercial flights for the first time.

Current regulations prohibit planes from flying supersonic over land due to the risk of sonic booms disturbing people and possibly damaging buildings.

However, Boom CEO Blake Scholl is hopeful that the firm's technology — dubbed Boomless Cruise — can change this.

Elon Musk also voiced his support, replying to Scholl on X: "This administration will get rid of all regulations that make no sense, like this one."

Boomless Cruise is possible thanks to a physics term called Mach cutoff.

If the sound barrier is broken at a high enough altitude, the sound waves can essentially U-turn in the atmosphere before reaching the ground.

Boom first achieved supersonic flight last month when its XB-1 prototype hit Mach 1.12 while flying over the Mojave Desert.

The firm said it placed microphones on the ground along the flight path to confirm that sonic booms didn't reach the ground.

Scholl said it makes use of technology that wasn't available in the era of Concorde, which began commercial service in 1976.

"Boomless Cruise requires engines powerful enough to break the sound barrier at an altitude high enough that the boom has enough altitude to U-turn," he wrote on X. "And real-time weather and powerful algorithms to predict the boom propagation precisely."

Boom decided to build its own engine, called Symphony, after major manufacturers declined to help. It previously had a contract with Rolls-Royce before the latter decided it didn't want to prioritize commercial supersonic flight.

If regulations change, Boom's Overture airliner could make coast-to-coast US flights 90 minutes faster, Scholl said.

However, he added that Boomless Cruise can only work between Mach 1.1 and 1.3 — below Overture's top speed of Mach 1.7.

Nonetheless, Boom's latest breakthrough could bring supersonic flight closer to being a practical choice for more airlines.

The Colorado-based startup has an order book of 130, with customers including American Airlines and United Airlines.

• A passenger was accused of opening a door and jumping off an Iberia flight while it was preparing to take off.
• The incident, which was said to have occurred Friday, was first described by Airlive.net.
• Iberia said it could "confirm the information" in the report but did not comment further.

A passenger was accused of assaulting a flight attendant and opening an emergency exit before jumping onto the taxiway while a flight was preparing to take off.

Airlive.net first described the incident involving an Airbus A320neo operated by the Spanish airline Iberia, which was about to depart Paris Orly Airport for Madrid on Friday.

An Iberia spokesperson told Business Insider the airline could "confirm the information" in the report but did not comment further.

The plane was about to turn onto the runway when passengers heard a loud sound, Airlive.net reported.

In a video obtained by the outlet that appeared to have been taken by another passenger, emergency vehicles can be seen surrounding the aircraft.

Passengers deplaned after two hours and were sent to nearby hotels, per the report.

Flight IB578 took off from Paris five hours later than scheduled, according to data from Flightradar24.

Aéroports de Paris, which administers Orly Airport, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from BI.

In January, a similar incident occurred on a JetBlue flight that was about to take off from Boston. The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane was on a taxiway when a passenger opened an emergency exit, causing the slide to deploy.

Last August, a passenger in Australia opened an emergency exit when his plane had just arrived at the gate, getting out and walking along one of the jet's wings.

In 2023, a Southwest Airlines passenger caused panic after jumping out of an emergency exit and running across the tarmac before attempting to steal a truck.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk doesn't just run various major companies. He's also become a titan of American culture and politics, using his immense wealth and influence to get involved with everything from space travel, to AI, to electric vehicles, to the White House.

Musk runs SpaceX, Tesla, X, xAI, and the Boring Company. He cofounded all of them, along with Neuralink, which he's still involved with and partially owns. Earlier in his career, Musk founded PayPal, OpenAI, and Zip2, but is no longer involved. Thanks to his entrepreneurial successes, Musk's net worth is $412 billion, making him the world's richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire's Index. That puts him well ahead of the runner-up, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whose net worth is $257 billion.

Throughout the 2024 presidential election, Musk became increasingly close to President Donald Trump. He's now the brain behind the Department of Government Efficiency, which is seeking to reform the federal government's budget, regulation, and structure.

DOGE

Though Musk donated to both Democrats and Republicans in his early career, he became a staunch and public ally of Trump during the 2024 presidential election, even coining himself "First Buddy." He spent at least $277 million backing Trump and Republicans, and political operatives told Business Insider that Musk's "war room" in Pennsylvania may have ultimately helped Trump win the crucial swing state.

Trump tapped Musk to lead DOGE and formally incorporated the group into the White House via executive order on his very first day back in office. In that executive order, however, Trump appeared to scale back the group's mission from cutting trillions from the federal budget to "modernizing Federal technology and software." 

Despite that, Musk and DOGE rapidly began remaking the federal workforce, going well beyond simple IT changes, like announcing the cancellation of a slew of government contracts, pushing for the shutdown of USAID, and advocating getting rid of the US penny. Musk also exercised significant political power before Trump officially formed DOGE; he tanked a Congressional spending bill, which nearly sent the government into a shutdown.

Musk and Trump's relationship remained close in the months after the election, spending time together at Mar-a-Lago and in DC. The Tesla CEO was among the tech leaders and billionaires who attended Trump's inauguration and has seemed to have his hand in some of the president's earliest actions regarding the federal workforce.

X/Twitter

Elon Musk started buying shares in Twitter, now called X, in January 2022 and initiated an acquisition three months later. In the years since, he has reframed the platform as a replacement for legacy media. The app has also served as a personal megaphone for Musk, who has more than 215 million followers — the most of any user. Musk posts frequently; sometimes more than 100 times per day.

By the time Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion in October 2022, he had actually spent months trying to back out of the agreement. Earlier in 2022, he sent a letter to Twitter purporting to terminate the acquisition. Twitter promptly sued him.

When the sale went through, Musk immediately ousted a number of Twitter executives, including its CEO, CFO, and chief legal officer. Shortly after, Musk issued an ultimatum to employees: work at an "extremely hardcore" rate or accept a three-month severance package. He would go on to lay off about 80% of Twitter's staff.

In May 2023, Musk named Linda Yaccarino as Twitter's new CEO. "Looking forward to working with Linda to transform this platform into X, the everything app," Musk said in a tweet. Come July 2023, Twitter was rebranded to X. The Securities and Exchange Commission is currently investigating Musk's acquisition of the company.

Musk has rebranded more than just the name of the company. A self-described "free speech absolutist," Musk fired many of Twitter's content moderators and opted instead for a community notes system. He reinstated previously suspended accounts, including Trump's, but a transparency report from 2024 revealed that X has suspended more accounts on average than Twitter did.

Musk launched a Twitter Blue subscription, which lets anyone paid to be verified and led to some users impersonating public figures. In 2023, he got rid of the social media site's blue-tick verification for accounts of "public interest," like those belonging to politicians, journalists, and celebrities. 

On various occasions, Musk has used his account on X to shape global political discourse. He posted about and tanked a government funding bill, ignited a raging immigration debate about the H-1B visa program for skilled workers, and demanded the British prime minister resign over his handling of the UK's rape-gang scandal.

SpaceX

SpaceX is a national and global leader in space exploration, and Musk's ultimate goal is to bring humans to Mars. Throughout the last 20 years, the company has broken record after record, including the most number of launches of a single rocket in one year. 

Beyond its rockets, SpaceX has built a wide satellite network and its global internet traffic more than tripled in 2024. The Starlink satellite internet system operates in Earth's lower orbit, with a constellation of up to 42,000 planned. 

Starlink has become a key part of SpaceX's business, but has ensnared Musk in geopolitical conflict. Musk has said Starlink has been crucial for Ukraine in its war with Russia, though some Ukrainian military intelligence officials have said that Russia is using the satellites — an allegation Musk has denied.

Musk has said SpaceX wants to send five of its flagship Starship rockets to Mars in 2026, followed by crewed missions a few years later, though some experts have told BI the timeline will be challenging to achieve. During the 2024 presidential campaign, he took to the stage at a Trump rally wearing his signature "Occupy Mars" shirt.

Yet SpaceX's more than two-decade long history hasn't always been smooth sailing. Musk founded the company in 2002, investing $100 million he made from the sale of PayPal.

The company nearly failed. After three unsuccessful launches between 2006 and 2008, funding was running out. Then, on September 28, 2008, SpaceX became the first private company to achieve a successful orbital launch. That same year, SpaceX received a $1.5 billion NASA contract. 

SpaceX launches now happen on a regular basis. The company publishes a SpaceX launch schedule on its website. Launches typically take place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base or the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The SpaceX Falcon 9, a partially reusable two-stage rocket, is often used for launches. The Falcon 9 family of rockets is a key asset for NASA in servicing the International Space Station since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. 

SpaceX was valued at about $350 billion under Musk's unique leadership style as of December 2024. 

The company remains private and Musk has said that SpaceX won't file for an IPO until the "Mars Colonial Transporter" is flying regularly. SpaceX's long-term goal is to make colonizing Mars affordable.

The Boring Company

Musk's The Boring Company was created as a subsidiary of SpaceX and later became its own entity. Inspired by LA traffic gridlock, the tunneling venture has several ongoing projects on the West Coast.

In April 2022, the company raised $675 million at a valuation of almost $5.7 billion, according to a Boring Company news release. Boring Company stock is not publicly traded.

In 2018, Musk sold 20,000 Boring Company flamethrowers in just five days. The product, called "Not-A-Flamethrower," has been off the market for years. However, it's acquired something of a cult status among the tech mogul's fans, and some people have been paying hundreds of dollars to buy them on eBay.

Among Musk's other innovative products is a 5'8" humanoid Tesla robot named Optimus, announced in 2021. The robot is designed to help reduce the labor shortage, according to Musk, and keep workers safer.

Musk said in June 2024 he thinks people will think of their personal Optimus robot as "sort of a friend," and remained optimistic they will start shipping next year.

Neuralink

Musk's brain-chip company Neuralink has begun implanting its devices in human skulls — and like many of Musk's ventures, the new technology has been met with both fanfare and skepticism.

Neuralink aims to treat patients with neurological conditions, such as paralysis and blindness. Initially, in the first human trial, Neuralink's goal is to help patients with paralyzed limbs control devices like a computer mouse or keyboard with only their thoughts. 

Noland Arbaugh became the first person to receive Neuralink's brain-chip implant in January 2024. The 29-year-old quadriplegic told Business Insider it had helped him regain independence and reconnect socially.

Musk has said he wants Neuralink to ultimately help humans achieve "symbiosis" with artificial intelligence so that they don't get "left behind" as AI evolves over time.

xAI 

Musk founded startup xAI in March 2023, which has since launched a chatbot called Grok. As of November 2024, xAI was valued at $50 billion, and the company raised at least $11 billion that year. Grok, which can generate images and summarize conversations, is now free for anyone to use. The chatbot has been trained on X user data, giving it a crucial boost as it competes against rivals like OpenAI.

The billionaire wants xAI to multiply the size of the supercomputer it uses to train its AI models, powered by Nvidia chips.

Elon Musk's family, personal life, and early career 

Musk was born in South Africa to parents Maye and Errol Musk, who divorced in 1979. He moved to Canada with his mom and two siblings after graduating high school, spending two years studying there before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating, he enrolled in Stanford University, but deferred admission after just two days in California to pursue entrepreneurship and never went back to the school.

In the 1990s, he founded his first startup, Zip2, with his brother, Kimbal, and began a decades-long career in tech. A group of Silicon Valley investors funded the project.

Musk further entrenched himself in the Silicon Valley network with his second venture, online banking company X.com. The company merged with a startup of Peter Thiel's to form PayPal. When PayPal sold to eBay in 2002, Musk made $165 million; he's considered a member of the "PayPal Mafia" and has a complicated relationship with Thiel. Also in 2002, Musk obtained his American citizenship.

Musk's former spouses include Justine Musk, whom he met at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada, and Talulah Riley, whom he married in 2010. He met Riley at a bar in London, and the couple divorced and remarried before splitting again.

It is unclear if Musk is currently dating. Musk reportedly split in 2022 with actor Natasha Bassett, who is believed to be his last public girlfriend.

Before that, Musk briefly dated actor Amber Heard in 2017 amid her divorce from actor Johnny Depp. The two first connected on the red carpet of the 2016 Met Gala, which Depp was expected to attend but did not.

He and the musician Grimes started dating in 2018. Since then, they've broken up and gotten back together a few times. They appear to be on reasonable terms again after a contentious legal battle over the three children they share. 

Musk has 11 living children and fathered one child who died in infancy with his ex-wife, Justine. Together, the couple had six kids. Another one of their children, Vivian, is transgender and has publicly rejected Musk in light of his criticism of transgender laws for children under 18. She has said she no longer wants "to be related to my biological father in any way."

The billionaire has brought one of the children he shares with Grimes, X Æ A-12, to meetings at the Capitol. 

Musk quietly had twins in November 2021 with one of his top executives, Shivon Zilis. In 2024 he confirmed he'd had another child with Zilis. He frequently laments America's declining birthrate, a theme that garnered attention during the 2024 presidential election.

• A flight from the Canary Islands to Iceland ended up being diverted to Scotland.
• Strong winds in Iceland prevented the Boeing 737 Max from landing on two attempts on Thursday.
• The Neos flight was then diverted 800 miles away to Glasgow, Scotland.

A flight bound for Iceland ended up in Scotland instead after strong winds stopped it from landing on Thursday.

The Neos Boeing 737 Max took off from Tenerife in the Canary Islands heading for Akureyri in northern Iceland.

The roughly 2,500 mile journey typically takes about five hours, but Flight NO4925 was airborne for some eight hours.

After reaching Akureyri, the plane flew as low as 700 feet before aborting its landing attempt, data from Flightradar24 shows.

It then headed southwest to the capital Reykjavik, but again was unable to land.

The flight then diverted to Glasgow, more than 800 miles away from the intended destination.

Neos did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

The airline, founded in 2021, is owned by Italy's Alpitour and based at Milan Malpensa Airport.

Thursday's incident came as the Icelandic Met Office issued red weather warnings for much of the country. It said dozens of weather stations recorded wind gusts of more than 90 miles per hour, and average wind speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour.

It's not the first time that strong winds have caused havoc for European airlines this year.

Red weather warnings in the UK and Ireland during Storm Éowyn disrupted journeys for hundreds of passengers.

One Ryanair flight from London to Edinburgh twice failed to land in the Scottish capital. It then nearly diverted to Cologne in Germany, before changing course back to London.

Another Ryanair flight, from Barcelona to Dublin, made two failed landing attempts before diverting to London Stansted Airport — some 300 miles away.

• A 64-year-old United Airlines employee was seriously injured on Saturday.
• He was driving an aircraft tug which collided with an American Eagle plane that had just landed.
• The tug flipped over and pinned the driver underneath, Chicago police said.

A man was seriously injured on Saturday after an aircraft tug collided with a plane that had just landed.

The incident happened at Chicago O'Hare Airport around 7 p.m. local time.

Chicago police said the tug flipped over after colliding with the wing of the plane, pinning the driver underneath the tug, CBS News reported.

The injured man is 64 years old and was taken to hospital in critical condition with injuries to his head and lower body, it added.

A Bombardier CRJ-200 operated by Air Wisconsin had just landed from Michigan's Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

Air Wisconsin is a regional subsidiary of American Airlines, operating under American Eagle.

Passengers safely deplaned and were bused to the terminal, the FAA added.

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and team members, and we are reviewing this incident," an American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement.

The tug driver is a United Airlines employee, the airline said in a statement also shared with several outlets.

"We are ensuring he receives any necessary support and care," it added.

United did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider outside of US working hours.

The incident is the latest in a series of aviation incidents in the US.

On January 28, a 66-year-old American Airlines employee died after being hit by an airport ramp vehicle at North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport, NBC News reported.

The following day saw the country's first major airline crash in nearly 16 years, when an American Airlines plane collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter in midair above the Potomac River in Washington, DC.

• Boeing's 777X to enter service with Lufthansa in 2026, CEO Kelly Ortberg confirmed.
• The jet has faced certification delays, with flight tests paused for months.
• The latest setback cost Boeing $2.6 billion.

Lufthansa is set to be the first airline to fly the 777X, Boeing's much-delayed newest jet.

CEO Kelly Ortberg said on an earnings call this week that the German carrier would get the first plane next year. Boeing continued to have "seat challenges, but we do know what those challenges are for Lufthansa deliveries," he added.

The Boeing 777X is an upgraded, modernized version of the world's best-selling widebody jet.

It includes a wider and more spacious cabin while taking advantage of technology used for the 787 Dreamliner.

A key feature is its folding wingtips. This allows for longer wings, which enhance aerodynamics.

The wings can also fold up while on the ground allowing it to fit at more airport gates. The double-decker Airbus A380 can only be operated at certain airports because it's so large.

More than a dozen airlines, including British Airways, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines, have placed about 500 orders for the twin-engine jet.

Boeing launched the 777X program in late 2013, targeting an entry to service in 2020. Delays have piled up and it's struggled to achieve certification for the jet.

Test flights were paused last August after a problem with a key component connecting the engine to the plane, before resuming earlier this month.

Ortberg said in October that the first delivery was expected in 2026 rather than this year.

In a third-quarter earnings report, Boeing said that the latest 777X setback would cost $2.6 billion.

There's much at stake, such as proving Boeing had the right strategy in modifying a previous design instead of building a new plane from scratch.

The planemaker has suffered from a loss of trust with some airlines after a damaging 2024 plagued by delivery delays. Boeing slowed down production after the Alaska Airlines blowout and then faced a seven-week strike later in the year.

Emirates president Tim Clark told BI in October: "I fail to see how Boeing can make any meaningful forecasts of delivery dates."

"Emirates has had to make significant and highly expensive amendments to our fleet programs as a result of Boeing's multiple contractual shortfalls and we will be having a serious conversation with them over the next couple of months," he added.

Others have been more patient, such as Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer. At last July's Farnborough Airshow, he said he didn't expect to receive the first 777X until 2026.

"And as English people say, let us not cry over spilled milk," he added. "Let us focus on the new delivery."

• An American Airlines flight collided with a Black Hawk helicopter in Washington, DC.
• The nation's capital is home to some of the most congested and highly governed airspace.
• Reagan National Airport has the US's busiest runway, with over 800 flights a day, the MWAA says.

An American Airlines flight and a military helicopter collided late Wednesday in one of the most congested and tightly controlled airspaces in the country.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, just outside Washington, DC, is home to the country's busiest runway, with over 800 takeoffs and landings a day, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority says. It's the closest of three area airports to the city, about 3 miles south of the White House.

Military helicopters also frequently fly low over the nearby Potomac River, transiting between military bases close by and the Pentagon, about 1 mile north of the airport.

Flying into and out of the airport, with short runways and such heavily restricted airspace nearby, is "like threading a needle," one pilot previously told Business Insider.

"It's a beehive of activity," Dennis Tajer, an American Airlines captain and spokesperson for its pilot union, told The Washington Post. "It's extremely compact, and it's a high volume of traffic."

Search efforts for the 64 people on board American Eagle Flight 5342 continued through the night. At a press conference Thursday morning, Washington, DC's fire chief said that no survivors were expected.

The Bombardier CRJ700 was operated by PSA Airlines, a regional subsidiary of American Airlines. It collided with a military UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying three people.

Along with New York's LaGuardia Airport, Reagan is one of two in the country subject to a perimeter rule. At Reagan, this limits routes to a distance of 1,250 miles — though Congress has increasingly approved more slots to operate beyond this, which has made the airport busier.

Unions and regulators have raised concerns about the country's air traffic system after several near-misses in recent years.

"We've had so many close calls with runway incursions and commercial flights almost colliding, and when something repeats over and over again, we call that a trend," Anthony Brickhouse, a US aviation safety expert, told BI.

"We've been trending in this direction for two or three years now, and unfortunately, tonight, it happened," he added.

The National Transportation Safety Board, Federal Aviation Administration, and the Pentagon have announced investigations.

The crash brings an end to a remarkable period of aviation safety in the US.

It is the first major fatal crash on US soil since 2013. Three people died in July that year when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crashed short of the runway at San Francisco International Airport.

Wednesday's collision was the first involving a US airline on US soil since February 2009, when a Colgan Air Bombardier Q400 crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York.

Fifty people died after the aircraft entered a stall and the pilots failed to respond appropriately.

The Federal Aviation Administration consequently revised its pilot-fatigue rules and required that all airline pilots hold an airline pilot transport license — the highest level of certificate.

Since 2013, two flights on US soil had led to fatalities before Wednesday. One Southwest Airlines passenger died from her injuries in 2018 after she was partially ejected through a broken window.

And in 2019, a man died when PenAir Flight 3296 overshot the runway while landing in Alaska.

• A passenger jet collided with a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan Washington National Airport.
• Four crew members and 60 passengers were aboard the jet, and three were aboard the helicopter.
• President Donald Trump said there were no survivors.

Sixty-seven people are presumed dead after an American Airlines flight crashed into a military helicopter Wednesday night during the jet's final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

President Donald Trump confirmed there had been no survivors, calling the crash "a dark and excruciating night" for the country.

American Eagle Flight 5342, operated by PSA Airlines and flying from Wichita, Kansas, was on approach to land at the airport when it struck a UH-60 Black Hawk, officials said. Several federal agencies, including the National Transportation Safety Board, are investigating the crash.

A NTSB spokesperson told Business Insider in an email on Thursday evening that the "cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder," known as black boxes, were recovered from the Bombardier CRJ700 passenger jet.

"The recorders are at the NTSB labs for evaluation," the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, crews are still searching the waters as part of the investigation and recovery efforts, while boats remain on the scene for security and search operations, according to the DC Fire and EMS Department.

"Our divers have searched all areas that are accessible," a statement from the department read Thursday night. On Friday, the statement said, "divers will work with NTSB to conduct additional searches to locate aircraft components, to support the investigation, and begin operations to salvage the aircraft.

Three Army crewmembers were aboard the Black Hawk from Bravo Company, 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, whose identities will be withheld until their next of kin have been notified, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a Thursday morning video.

"It was a fairly experienced crew, and that was doing a required annual night evaluation," he said in the video. "They did have night vision goggles."

He said investigators deployed Wednesday night and that the 12th Aviation Battalion has an "operational pause on contingency missions" for 48 hours.

"We anticipate that the investigation will quickly be able to determine whether the aircraft was in the quarter at the right altitude at the time of the incident."

At the Thursday morning press conference, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that both aircraft had been flying in a "standard pattern" that was not unusual, with no breakdown in communication between them.

"The helicopter was aware that there was a plane in the area," he said.

Duffy added that the fuselage of the American Airlines plane was inverted in the water.

"It's been located in three different sections," he said. "It's in about waist-deep water."

A livestream taken from the Kennedy Center by EarthCam showed an explosion as the helicopter collided with the passenger plane.

A spokesperson for US Figure Skating, the country's governing body for the sport, told BI that "several members" of the organization were aboard the flight.

"These athletes, coaches, and family members were returning home from the National Development Camp held in conjunction with the US Figure Skating Championships in Wichita, Kansas," the spokesperson said.

She added: "We are devastated by this unspeakable tragedy and hold the victims' families closely in our hearts."

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, said Russian nationals were aboard the flight, according to the Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.

At a press conference Thursday morning, Trump said he didn't know what caused the crash before laying out a series of diversity initiatives within the FAA that he suggested without evidence could have contributed to the crash.

In a video posted to the American Airlines website, CEO Robert Isom said the airline was "cooperating fully" with the NTSB's investigation of the crash.

"Anything we can do, we are doing, and right now, that means focusing on taking care of all passengers and crew involved, as well as their families," he said.

Isom said that the plane's pilot had six years of experience with PSA, and the first officer had almost two years.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was closed to all aircraft after the crash and reopened around 11 a.m.

United Airlines and Southwest Airlines said they were allowing passengers booked on flights to the airport to change their travel plans without fees.

Anthony Brickhouse, an aviation expert, told BI that the crash was tragic but that he was not surprised it happened.

"We've had so many close calls with runway incursions and commercial flights almost colliding, and when something repeats over and over again, we call that a trend," he said.

"We've been trending in this direction for two or three years now, and unfortunately, tonight, it happened," he added.

Several near misses have taken place in recent years, in cities such as Austin and New York.

But this marks the first major commercial plane crash in the US since 2009, when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed over Buffalo, New York, killing 49 on board and one person on the ground.

Kathleen Bangs, an aviation safety analyst and former pilot, told BI that she used to fly into Reagan Washington National Airport as a regional airline pilot and that the "extremely busy" airport had challenging flying conditions, including two runways of 5,000 feet and 5,200 feet, and proximity to water.

"The conversation now will be what safety steps need to be modified to ensure there's never another similar collision in the nation's capital," she said.

This was the third major plane crash worldwide since December.

An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer plane crashed last month, with some blaming Russian air defenses. Thirty-eight people died.

A few days later, a Boeing 737 operated by the South Korean carrier Jeju Air crashed in South Korea, killing 179 people. Two people survived.

• Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg says Elon Musk is helping speed up the arrival of the Next Air Force One.
• The planemaker has lost more than $2 billion producing the long-delayed presidential aircraft.
• President Donald Trump "wants the airplane sooner," Ortberg told CNBC.

Elon Musk is helping Boeing speed up production of the Next Air Force One, the planemaker's CEO told CNBC.

Also known as the VC-25B, costs and delays have snowballed since Boeing was tapped in 2015 to build a new presidential aircraft.

It was initially set to be delivered in 2024, but the timeframe has been pushed back to at least 2027. Boeing has reported losses of more than $2 billion on the program.

"The president wants the airplane sooner, and so we're working with Elon and the team to figure what can we do to pull up the schedule of that aircraft," Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told CNBC.

He added that discussions had been constructive and praised the Department of Government Efficiency.

"They sincerely are looking at things in the contract or in the process that are slowing us down that are not providing value," Ortberg said.

"We're engaging with the DOGE team to see if we can't find that right mix of requirements that need to come out and get out of our way so we can be more efficient and deliver a better product," he added.

During President Donald Trump's first term, he renegotiated the terms — threatening to cancel the program if it exceeded $4 billion.

To cut costs, Boeing agreed in 2018 to use two jets originally destined for a Russian airline that went bankrupt.

In 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that production problems included one Boeing employee not being properly credentialed to oversee the work and another failing a routine drug test.

Mini bottles of tequila were also found on board one of the future presidential jets, the Journal reported.

What will the Next Air Force One look like?

At his inaugural ball earlier this month, Trump signaled his appetite for the new presidential jet by cutting a cake adorned with the VC-25B.

Notably, the model had a red, white, and blue design — unlike the light blue used for every presidential jet since the Kennedy era.

In 2019, Trump showed ABC a similar plane design. "I'm doing that for other presidents, not for me," he added.

However, this color scheme was found to cause further delays. The Air Force said a thermal study found that the dark blue would necessitate additional tests because of added heat in some environments.

So in 2023, then-President Joe Biden chose a light-blue livery, in line with the current and previous Air Force Ones — but it seems like Trump would prefer his original design.

• Southwest and Delta have added almost 40 flights combined for the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
• Most tickets on Southwest cost more than $500, with 31 new flights available.
• Delta tickets were as low as $201 but peaked higher than its budget rival.

Airlines have added last-minute flights for the Super Bowl — and are cashing in on the demand.

Following Sunday's conference championship games, it was confirmed that this year's big game will see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.

Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines announced the same day that they would operate extra flights.

The budget carrier is adding 31 flights for the Super Bowl — 15 across the two days before the February 9 event, and 16 on the Monday after.

They will operate from Kansas City or Philadelphia, which is not usually served by Southwest.

The cheapest one-way ticket found by Business Insider on Tuesday morning was $384, with most above $500. The most expensive appeared to be a one-way ticket from Kansas City to New Orleans on February 8, at $798.

Delta is adding seven flights for the Super Bowl weekend, with a total capacity of more than 1,300 seats.

Some of these tickets appeared to be cheaper than Southwest.

The nonstop flight from Kansas City to New Orleans on February 8 had basic economy seats at $201 — but only two remained at this price.

Football fans traveling from Philadelphia would need to pay at least $500 with Delta. Heading in the other direction on its Monday nonstop flight was $980 in economy or more than $2,500 in first class.

Still, the new nonstop flights the airlines have added appear to be cheaper than flying with a layover.