• The FAA announced its first round of 2025 air traffic controller hiring on Thursday.
• The job is high-stress with challenges like fatigue, but the average annual salary is six figures.
• Controllers must undergo rigorous training and testing and retire at 56.

The Trump Administration has a plan to increase air traffic control staffing: faster hiring and more money.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday that the Federal Aviation Administration has accelerated hiring to cut more than four months off the timeline.

Candidates who attend the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City will earn 30% more. The agency said the average controller salary is now $160,000.

The Federal Aviation Administration reopened its hiring window, with applications accepted until March 17.

Being an air traffic controller is an extremely high-stress job. The over 14,000 workers nationwide are responsible for moving tens of thousands of lives on board planes across the country every day.

Pressure on the FAA to hire controllers more quickly comes amid heightened attention on air safety following a string of crashes. A deadly American Airlines midair collision in January highlighted potential lapses in US air traffic systems.

The agency has been battling a controller shortage for years. CNN reported in May 2024 that the FAA was about 3,000 controllers short, though it met its 2024 hiring goal of 1,800 and plans to hire another 2,000 this year.

Business Insider spoke with FAA controller Cedrick Earley to discuss what it is like to work the job. Here are nine things you should know before applying to become an air traffic controller.

You don't need a college degree to work in ATC

ATC is a good option for people looking for a high-salary job that doesn't require a college degree.

According to Thursday's job posting, an eligible applicant must:

• Be a US citizen
• Speak clear and fluent English
• Be under the age of 31 before the application closing date (more on that later)
• Have one year of full-time work experience or higher education, or a combination of both
• Meet specific physical and mental fitness standards

Successful applicants who apply through the FAA must undergo months of extensive training and pass mandatory tests, such as an aptitude test, a skills assessment, and physical and psychological exams, before being officially hired.

The applicants will spend up to five months at the academy, where training and testing will occur. However, some applicants come from other careers, like the military.

Earley said he went through the Air Force to become a controller instead of going through the FAA.

"[Air Force] is a different track," he said. "The quality of training you receive from the Air Force is equivalent to what you would get if you went through the route with the FAA in Oklahoma."

You have to be younger than 31 when you apply

According to the FAA, all ATC applicants must be 30 or younger on the closing date of the application period to qualify for the position.

This is because the agency has determined through extensive research that the older someone is, the harder it is for them to complete the rigorous training.

However, according to the agency, those who already have air traffic control experience can be hired up to 35 years of age. 

You have to go through a lot of testing and training

Whether you become a controller through the FAA or the military, you will have to undergo monthslong training and pass aptitude, physical, physiological, and skill tests. These exams assess applicants' health, and their ability to train for and perform the job.

Initial tests are pass/fail, according to the agency, and failing certain exams will eliminate applicants from the hiring process.

The training is demanding, with about 50% of aspiring Air Force controllers failing out.

You won't necessarily work in a tower

Earley said traffic controllers are not just confined to the airport tower but can also work in the several hundred facilities around and between airports nationwide.

For example, one may work in the Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility, or TRACON, in Memphis and be responsible for controlling aircraft leaving the airport for their next destination and directing flights into the airport for a quick and safe landing. 

Employees can also work in one of the air route traffic control centers, or ARTCCs, throughout the US, which direct aircraft en route to their destinations.

The work can be high-stress and sometimes boring

Being an air traffic controller can be stressful due to the heavy workload and high-consequence environment. However, depending on how busy the skies are, the job can also be dull and boring.

Former air traffic controller Michele Robson wrote in 2020 that the job can be quiet at night, but controllers must always be alert and ready to work at any hour on shift.

While some controllers find the job extremely stressful, Earley said that isn't the case for him because he enjoys the "challenge of coming in every day to a new puzzle." However, he admitted that that work keeps him on his toes.

"Controllers are always learning on the job, like updating and refining the processes or learning new rules and procedures," he explained. "It is a job where you always have to change and adapt." 

Safety is the top priority

Air traffic controllers are responsible for about 50,000 daily flights in the US, so safety is the most important aspect of the job.

An increasing number of planes colliding or nearly colliding has further enhanced FAA training and system improvements across airports and ATC facilities.

According to Earley, there are several things controllers do to ensure nothing is missed.

"I work in front of a radar scope, and it can get busy at times, so I am not supposed to work in position more than two hours at a time, so we get a break to keep us refreshed," he said. "We also do not work more than 10 hours in one day, and there is a certain amount of hours we have to be off before we can work again."

The FAA implemented new rules in 2024 to minimize controller fatigue by raising the minimum rest time between shifts from at least nine hours to at least 10 hours. Controllers also get 12 hours off before and after midnight shifts.

Earley also explained that there are redundancies in the job to elevate safety and that other controllers and supervisors help check each other's work.

"Everyone is actually able to see what is going on with any particular person's work at the time, so it is one team, one fight," he said. "If we notice something is a little out of sorts, we can bring that to the controller's attention, and they can fix it before it becomes a bigger problem."

The salary is good, but the work schedule can be inconsistent

Earley explained the job's salary, which increases with seniority, plus the benefits provide a good work-life balance.

"It's a job that pays me well and allows me to support my family," he said. "I'm also able to take leisure time for myself, like spending time with my daughter."

However, he also said his schedule is not the regular 9-5.

"I do have some shifts I work from midnight to 8 a.m., as well as some scattered 12-8 shifts, so it rotates," he said. "I always know what my hours are each day, but it is not always at the same time. It is consistently inconsistent."

You know your schedule for the entire year

According to Earley, air traffic controllers know their work schedule a year in advance.

"When we set our schedules up, we bid what we want for the next year, and then we are awarded our full schedule for the year," he said. "It helps in terms of planning our leave."

He also explained that the schedule is only for one year, and controllers can change it the following year.

You can retire at 56

All air traffic controllers must retire at 56 due to the higher possibility of memory or hearing loss, inattentiveness, or reduced eyesight in older individuals.

However, Earley said the 56 age cut-off only applies to those actively working traffic, so controllers who are not yet ready to retire can take a desk or management job instead.

• A Southwest Airlines flight narrowly avoided a collision with a private jet in Chicago on Tuesday.
• The private jet entered the runway "without authorization," the FAA said.
• The incident adds to the string of recent safety concerns in aviation.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a near-miss incident between a Southwest Airlines jet and a private jet at Chicago's Midway Airport on Tuesday.

The moment was captured on video, appearing to show the Southwest plane just feet from above the runway before aborting the landing as the smaller jet crosses ahead of it.

A Southwest spokesperson told Business Insider that the passenger airliner performed a "go-around" to avoid a collision, circling to attempt another landing.

"The crew followed safety procedures, and the flight landed without incident," the airline said. "Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees."

Data from the flight-tracking website Flightradar24 shows the flight originated in Omaha, Nebraska, and safely landed in Chicago about 15 minutes after the go-around at 9:02 a.m. local time.

"Tower, Southwest 2504, how'd that happen?" the Southwest pilot asked air traffic controllers after the go-around, according to radio recordings reviewed by BI.

The FAA told BI that the private Bombardier plane "entered the runway without authorization" and is investigating the incident.

Another safety incident in the US

The near-miss is the latest in a string of recent safety-related events across North America. On Monday, a Delta plane had to return to Atlanta after takeoff due to a reported smoke in the cabin.

Before that, a Delta flight crash-landed in Toronto a week earlier and flipped upside down. In January, an American Airlines plane collided midair with an Army helicopter over Washington, DC, killing 67.

None of the accidents or incidents appear related at this time, though an uptick in near-misses is among the risks worrying aviation industry insiders — especially after the American midair collision.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has vowed to improve the national ATC systems.

• Southwest Airlines has been known for its affordable flights and fun personality since 1971.
• The airline laid off 15% of its headquarters staff in February, the first mass layoff in company history.
• Some current and former employees fear recent changes at the airline could kill its storied company culture.

Southwest Airlines has long billed itself as different from other carriers — but after the company's first-ever round of major layoffs, some employees say they worry it'll soon just become like every other airline.

Some of the teams affected by layoffs in February — the airline's only mass layoff since it started flying in 1971 — helped maintain a free-spirited culture that saw flight attendants singing announcements, gate agents putting up balloons, and employees making a music video called "Just Plane Fun," which promoted Southwest's lighthearted approach.

The company also thinned the ranks of its training staff — and greatly trimmed this year's internship program. Also gone: Its decades-old corporate rallies where leaders aimed to pump up the staff.

"The love is dead," one current Southwest headquarters employee told Business Insider. The person didn't want to give their name because they weren't authorized to speak to the press, but BI is aware of their identity.

How an activist firm helped upend Southwest

The changes come after nearly a year of upheaval at Southwest, during which time an activist investor bought a large stake in the airline and agitated for an operational revamp to cut costs and increase profitability.

Already, Southwest has given in to one of the most visible things that made it unique: its open-seating policy. Starting in the first half of next year, customers will get seat assignments like on any other airline.

The airline also relented on its one-class-fits-all cabin. It's embarking on an overhaul of its fleet to add premium seating, like those with extra legroom available for purchase — adding a new stream of revenue for the airline.

Now, the latest staff cuts, which saw 1,750 people — or about 15% of Southwest's corporate staff laid off — could mean the slow withering away of the rest of what made Southwest different, some employees say.

Southwest told BI that the airline would still stand out because of its culture, which it said is "woven in the fabric" of its employees.

The airline declined to detail specific department changes. It confirmed that CEO Bob Jordan has asked "all of us at Headquarters to run a leaner organization, and that means evolving the way we approach certain focus areas."

"The strength of Southwest's Culture is critical to the success of our business and our ability to serve our Customers," a spokesperson for the airline told BI in a statement. "The decision to have a reduction in our workforce was extremely difficult and focused almost entirely on Corporate and Leadership positions, but we made every attempt to offer the Employees affected with the care and support they deserve. Our People will continue to be what sets us apart as we drive the Company forward."

One of the teams to see a significant downsizing was the airline's "hospitality" group, the current employee said.

The hospitality team is in charge of tasks like reviewing customer feedback, creating initiatives to make flying Southwest more enjoyable, and hearing from frontline employees.

For instance, the snack cart you sometimes see at a gate during a long delay: That's part of the hospitality team.

Southwest confirmed to BI that its "culture department," which helped plan corporate rallies and other employee- and brand-focused initiatives was also among the teams affected by layoffs.

Aviation expert Henry Harteveldt of Atmosphere Research Group told BI that the layoffs in certain departments could risk eliminating what made Southwest special.

"Culture is what helped distinguish Southwest Airlines, particularly the commitment to its people and how it went about hiring, training, retention, and more," he said.

Southwest could maintain its culture so long as longtime leaders pass down their institutional knowledge, he said

Conor Cunningham, an airline analyst with Melius Research, echoed those sentiments in recent notes to clients, calling Southwest's culture its "special sauce."

"A delicate balance is very much needed here, as culture is difficult to cultivate but easy to ruin," he said.

Customers may see a change from Southwest founder's original vision

Southwest, which launched in Texas, quickly became famous for its cowboy culture, hotpants-wearing flight attendants, and free on-board whiskey.

Charismatic, chain-smoking founder Herb Kelleher once avoided a legal battle by arm-wrestling another company's CEO over rights to the slogan "Just Plane Smart."

Kelleher's unorthodox methods promoted fun for Southwest customers and staff and pushed employees not to take themselves too seriously — and his leadership style inspired Doug Parker, the former CEO of Southwest's home state rival, American Airlines.

"As a younger CEO at industry meetings, I would just do everything I could to just hang around Herb, just to observe and hope I could get some of it through osmosis," Parker told BI in 2019. "He was in tune with what was happening at all levels of his company. And he really cared about it."

One laid-off employee in the technology department told BI they worry Southwest may lose loyal customers who specifically sought out the airline because of its culture and signature policies, like open seating, no-hassle trip changes, and free checked bags.

"I just feel like Southwest is done," the former employee said. "Why would [customers] choose our airline?" The person asked to remain anonymous because they don't want to hurt future hiring prospects, but BI is aware of their identity.

Not everyone has lost hope, though. Another laid-off employee, who asked not to be named for fear of losing their severance, told BI that everyone they interacted with still "maintains the culture to the best of their ability."

Colleen Barrett, a longtime leader alongside Kelleher who died last May, was also key to building Southwest's culture. For decades, she encouraged employees to promote respect, fun, and spirit during work to codify Southwest's people-focused reputation.

"Books have been written about Southwest and its culture," Harteveldt said. To Kelleher and Barrett, "Southwest was more than efficiency and low costs," he said. "They viewed the culture as an asset that made Southwest as a brand more relevant to travelers than competitors."

Elliott's new vision for Southwest

After Barrett's death, Elliott Management, the activist investor, soon announced its stake in Southwest and pushed to shake up the airline. Some employees said they thought Barrett had been the last gatekeeper of old Southwest culture.

The hedge fund said Southwest was leaving opportunities on the table, accusing the airline's leadership of a "stubborn unwillingness to evolve" its business practices, product offerings like the lack of premium seating, and technology infrastructure.

Even though Southwest has failed to turn an annual profit only once since 1973, Elliott noted that the airline's recent earnings were a mere fraction of what they were before the pandemic, while rivals have reported record hauls.

Southwest has also struggled to keep the price of its stock in line with competitors. Over the past year, its shares are down more than 12%, compared to Delta Air Lines, for example, which is up more than 40%

A spokesperson for Elliott Management declined to comment.

Now, with the latest changes — especially the job cuts in core culture-driving groups — there may be no one to stop Southwest from being just another run-of-the-mill US airline, some employees said.

"There's definitely a different culture from here on out," the former technology team member told BI. "I think people are going to realize this isn't Southwest."

The February layoffs come on top of a huge year of changes at Southwest. Consider this timeline:

• May 2024: Barrett dies at 79 after decades of building Southwest's culture.
• June 2024: Elliott Management takes a $1.9 billion stake in Southwest, or about 11% of its shares at the time, making it one of the company's largest shareholders.
• July 2024: Southwest announced the coming addition of premium cabins and an end to its famous open-seating policy.
• October 2024: Southwest names six new board seats, including five recommended by Elliott.
• January 2025: Employee rallies canceled, and Southwest's popular internship program downsized.
• February 2025: Southwest cuts 1,750 corporate employees, including hospitality staff. A day later, Elliott made an agreement with Southwest that would allow it to acquire up to a 19.9% stake.

Of course, Southwest's culture may endure even after the big changes. The company says it's making these changes to save $510 million over the next two years.

Its first red-eye flights and first international partnership took off in mid-February. Assigned seating will begin in the first half of 2026.

• A Delta plane crash-landed and flipped upside-down in Toronto on Monday.
• Airline pilots say strong crosswinds or runway debris could have caused a landing gear failure.
• All 80 passengers and crew survived, likely thanks to aircraft design and airline safety protocols.

Three airline pilots suspect some combination of faulty landing gear, wintry weather, or debris may have caused a Delta Air Lines plane to crash and flip belly up on Monday.

Former Delta captain Mark Stephens, who flew for the carrier for 30 years, told Business Insider that video of the event shows the right main landing gear collapsing within seconds of touching down.

He said it appeared the right wing then struck the ground, detached from the jet, and caught fire. The plane then rolled and came to a rest upside-down.

"There was just no stopping this once whatever forces caused the gear to fail," Stephens said. "The plane didn't fully engulf in flames likely because when the wing fell off, it left the fuel behind and reduced the risk of a major spark. Snow and ice may have also helped to control the fire."

Two other active airline pilots who asked not to be named due to the ongoing investigation and their employers' policies regarding speaking to the media agreed that the video shows the right gear likely failing during touchdown.

Investigators have not yet given any details on what may have caused the crash.

Excessive force or debris could have hurt the landing gear

A strong crosswind and possible wind shear, a sudden change in wind direction that can affect a plane's altitude, could have put high lateral force onto the right gear as the plane landed. The airport was reporting relatively high 33-knot gusts at the time.

Wind shear is a particular hazard during takeoff and landing that has caused plane crashes in the past.

"I've had some really hard landings," Stephens said. "But I don't think the gear would fail from a hard landing unless it had too many cycles."

Airlines closely monitor landing gear cycles, or how many times the wheels have gone up and down, as part of their maintenance strategies. Plane manufacturers design commercial aircraft equipment to withstand heavy landings, but even these have limits, Stephens said.

Stephens, who has a background in engineering, said metal fatigue or cracking could cause a critical component of the gear to break if the fault is missed during a maintenance check.

In 2018, a Southwest Airlines plane experienced an engine failure in which one of the fan blades broke due to metal fatigue, causing fragments of the engine to escape and hit a passenger window. One person was killed.

The Delta Bombardier CRJ900 jet involved was about 16 years old but could have flown for many more years with proper maintenance and upkeep.

Stephens said debris on the runway could have been another culprit.

"If it hit an ice block, I think that could cause the gear to fail because you're landing at 150 miles an hour," Stephens said. "It could also be something as little as just a small piece of metal that made the tire fail."

In 2000, an Air France Concorde jet hit a small piece of debris during takeoff, causing the tire to explode and sending fragments flying into the underside of the plane. Damage to flight control systems and a fuel tank explosion caused the plane to crash, killing 113 people.

The pilots would likely have minimal reaction time

Stephens said the plane landing in Toronto likely would have been flying in at an angle to handle the strong crosswinds. "Crabbing," as the common technique is known, involves pointing the plane's nose slightly into the wind to stay on course and straightening out just before landing.

Given the direction of the winds in this case, the procedure would have involved landing on the right landing gear first and keeping the right wing down into the crosswind before settling on the left main gear followed by the nose gear for a full touchdown.

"The pilots are looking straight down the runway, and they're trained not to pull that wing out, so to me, they're doing what they're supposed to do," Stephens said.

Between the landing gear failing and the wing hitting the ground, he estimates the pilots would not have time to thrust the engines to full power for a second landing attempt.

Greater Toronto Airports Authority CEO Deborah Flint said in a Tuesday press conference that the airport experienced "extreme" winter conditions over the weekend.

Monday was considered "clear," though snow was reportedly blowing at the time of the crash.

Robust safety procedures and aircraft design helped everyone survive

Stephens said the Delta CRJ900, which was operated by the wholly-owned subsidiary Endeavor Air, is very strong and its robust airframe likely contributed to the survivability despite the damaging fire and roll.

"This is why you always wear a seatbelt and pay attention to the safety instructions," he said.

For aircraft to be certified, US regulators require manufacturers to show everyone can evacuate in 90 seconds or less. This includes listening to crew instructions and leaving bags behind.

A Japan Airlines plane collided with another jet during landing and caught fire in January 2024. Experts said a detailed in-flight safety video paired with the passengers following crew instructions to leave bags contributed to all 379 people surviving.

Ignoring crew commands can be deadly.

In 2019, a Russian jet three times smaller than the JAL one caught fire upon landing, but people were seen evacuating with the carry-on luggage. It is believed the slowed escape caused some of the 41 people's deaths.

Delta said on Tuesday that 19 of 21 people injured in the crash have been released from the hospital. Canada's Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation, with assistance from US agencies and Bombardier.

• Southwest Airlines is cutting 15% of its corporate workforce, or 1,750 employees, the carrier said.
• They're the first major layoffs in Southwest's 53-year history and come amid profitability woes.
• Read the CEO Bob Jordan's full message on Monday to employees.

Southwest Airlines said on Monday that it is slashing 15% of its corporate workforce, or 1,750 employees.

The cuts are the first major layoffs in Southwest's 53-year history and the airline's latest response to the company's financial woes as its profits plunge.

The carrier said the layoffs will help the company save about $210 million in 2025 — excluding severance packages and post-employment benefits, which could cost the company $60 to $80 million — and around $300 million in 2026.

Southwest president and CEO Bob Jordan said the severances would take effect in late April and that impacted workers would keep their pay, benefits, and bonuses until then.

Elliott Investment Management, an activist firm that took a stake in Southwest in June, has been pushing for changes at the carrier, including a restructuring of its board and updates to its business model.

Southwest said in July that it plans to end its long-standing open-seating policy to generate more seating revenue. The company also reduced flight crew positions in Atlanta last year to cut costs.

Southwest isn't the only budget airline to take cost-cutting measures in a changing industry.

Spirit Airlines, for example, said in July it would start bundling previously a-la-carte items like snacks and checked bags to target premium passengers.

JetBlue Airways said the same month that it would delay delivering more than 40 jets to the airline's fleet until 2030 or later.

Low-cost competitor Frontier Airlines has similarly made changes, like adding a new business-class-like cabin with a blocked middle seat to lure in more customers.

Read Southwest CEO Bob Jordan's full message to employees on Monday:

Southwest Team:

We are at a pivotal moment as we carry out our three-year business plan to transform Southwest Airlines. Our transformational plan is the largest and most comprehensive in our 53-year history, and it focuses on three simple but powerful objectives. First, boost revenues and loyalty by offering our Customers the experience they want; second, maximize efficiencies and minimize costs; and third, make the most of our investments.

As we continue to work together to transform our Company, an area of intense focus will be maximizing efficiencies and minimizing costs. We must ensure we fund the right work, reduce duplicative efforts, and have a lean organizational structure that drives clarity, pace, and urgency. Improving how we work together and how we get work done has a tremendous impact on our efficiency as a Company and how we deliver against our plan.

We have made the very tough decision to move forward with a reduction in our workforce, focused almost entirely on Corporate and Leadership positions. This reduction affects approximately 1,750 Employee roles, or 15% of Corporate positions. Separations do not begin until late April. Until then, most Employees who are notified of their displacement will not work but will continue to receive their salary, benefits, and bonus, if eligible.

This is a very difficult and monumental shift, and I arrived at this decision after careful and thorough reflection, knowing how hard it will be to say goodbye to Cohearts who have been a significant part of our Culture and our accomplishments.

We are dedicated to operating safely and reliably for our Customers every single day. The fundamental objective of Leadership and Noncontract roles is to support our Frontline Employees as efficiently and effectively as possible. With the best intentions, the growth of our Leadership and Noncontract functions have outpaced our operation's growth for many years. Now, this group must become more lean, efficient, and agile to better serve our Frontline Employees in our shared mission of serving our Customers.

What to Expect

This will be hard, and we will treat our People with the care and respect they have earned and they deserve. Impacted Employees will receive severance and will be offered resources to provide an opportunity to ask questions and prepare for the future, like sessions with Human Resource Business Partners, a dedicated Offboarding Support Team, and outplacement services.

Moving Forward Together

This was an extremely difficult decision to make because of its impact on our People—both those who will be directly impacted and those who will remain.

Changing how we work is an essential part of becoming a more agile Company, and it will be a journey. We are building a leaner organization with increased clarity regarding what is most important, quicker decision making, and a focus on getting the right things done with urgency—not unlike our entrepreneurial founding spirit of the 1970s. As we focus on delivering on our plan, our future will be built upon the actions we take today to ensure an even brighter future.

Are you one of the Southwest employees who was laid off? If so, reach out to Business Insider Senior Aviation Reporter Taylor Rains on a non-work device at [email protected].

• A Delta Air Lines plane flipped with 80 people on board as it landed in Toronto Monday.
• The Bombardier CRJ900 was flying from Minneapolis, operated by Delta's Endeavor Air.
• The airline said Monday evening 18 customers with injuries were transported to hospitals.

A Delta Air Lines jet flipped with 80 people on board as it landed at a Toronto airport Monday, leaving emergency crews scrambling to reach the injured in the upside-down aircraft.

All passengers and crew were "accounted for," Toronto Pearson International Airport said. Delta Air Lines said 18 injured people were taken to hospitals. A Peel Regional Police spokesperson said the Greater Toronto Airports Authority was investigating.

Photos on X appeared to show the plane upside down and at least one wing missing. More photos of the wreck trickled out later. Delta said there were 76 passengers and four crew on board.

"Initial reports indicate there are no fatalities and 18 customers with injuries have been transported to area hospitals. Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted," Delta said Monday at around 5:40 p.,m. ET.

At around 10:30 p.m. ET, the company said, "Some of the customers initially transported to area hospitals have been released."

Ornge, an air ambulance service in Ontario, told Business Insider that three people were transported to Toronto hospitals with critical injuries, including a child, a man in his 60s, and a woman in her 40s.

The Bombardier CRJ900, which was flying from Minneapolis as Flight 4819, was operated by Delta's wholly-owned regional subsidiary, Endeavor Air.

"Everything just kind of went sideways," Pete Carlson, a passenger on the flight, told Canada's national broadcaster CBC.

"One minute you're landing, kind of waiting to see your friends and your people, and the next minute you're physically upside down," he said.

Carlson described the sound of "cement and metal" as the plane crashed.

Flights to Toronto Pearson were halted due to the emergency but resumed at 5 p.m. local time. More than 330 flights were delayed on Monday, and nearly 400 flights were canceled, per FlightAware, a flight-tracking website.

"The airport remains open. Passengers are advised to check their flight status before coming to the airport," the airport wrote in an X post on Monday night.

Delta said that it is working with customers flying from, to, or through Toronto and that customers should check their flight status via the Delta app.

US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said in an X post that investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration were traveling to Toronto and that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada would lead the investigation.

Canada's transport minister Anita Anand thanked first responders and airport staff in an X post. In an earlier post, she said she had spoken to Duffy about the crash and that the FAA was sending investigators to support the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

A bad few months for aviation safety

The Delta incident comes two and a half weeks after an American Airlines flight collided with a military Black Hawk helicopter over Washington D.C., killing 67 people.

The event in Toronto highlights the ongoing concerns over aviation safety. Despite the incident happening in Canada, the plane was operated by a US airline regulated by the FAA.

On Monday, the Trump Administration fired hundreds of FAA staff, according to the workers' union, including people in the safety department.

Among those fired was Jason King, whose work directly involved addressessing safety concerns, the Washington television station, WUSA, reported.

He said his team's work included investigating the midair collision over D.C.

The Delta and American flights join a string of aviation safety events since December. An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer plane crashed on Christmas Day in Kazakhstan, with some blaming Russian air defenses. Thirty-eight people died.

A few days later, a Boeing 737 operated by the South Korean budget carrier Jeju Air crashed in South Korea. 179 people died, and two people survived.

A small general aviation plane crashed in Pennsylvania a few days after the American accident, killing six on the plane and one on the ground.

And on February 6, an Alaskan regional airline crashed in western Alaska, killing 10 people.

• Denver-based Boom Supersonic wants to revive Mach-speed travel with its Overture plane.
• Overture would feature improved efficiency, safety, and a quieter engine than Concorde.
• Boom's innovations include a homegrown engine and the potential for overland supersonic flights.

A startup wants to revive the era of the supersonic Concorde for the generations of flyers that missed out — but without the noisy boom and expensive ticket prices.

Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl explained to Business Insider how his company's future "Overture" airliner would look and operate compared to the iconic Concorde.

He said Overture's airframe, cabin, and avionics have been developed to improve efficiency and safety, and Boom plans to build its own homegrown supersonic engine capable of running off biofuels.

The company also recently announced progress in its intention to operate Mach-speed flights over land without the sonic boom reaching the ground.

This "Boomless Cruise" could help Overture achieve a feat Concorde never could — assuming regulators allow it.

"We didn't invent anything," Scholl said. "Concorde proved you can fly a supersonic airplane with passengers on it half a century ago. The job of the Overture is to do it economically."

An advanced airframe with no moveable nose

The Concorde — which was an expensive government project between the UK and France — first flew nearly 50 years ago but retired in 2003 after a deadly crash.

Boom, a private company, will take Concorde's proven ideas and apply modern designs to improve efficiency and safety. Passenger flights are expected to begin in 2029.

Overture kept Concorde's Delta-wing design that minimizes aerodynamic "wave drag" at high speeds — meaning the basic airframes look similar. Wave drag results from shock waves forming around an airplane, decreasing efficiency.

Scholl said Boom has changed Overture's fuselage materials and shape to make it 20% more aerodynamically efficient than its predecessor.

"We can design a very efficient shape with [wind tunnel] simulation," he said. "The whole thing is accurate to the width of a human hair across a 70-foot fuselage."

Scholl added Overture's carbon fiber composite is lighter-weight than the Concorde's aluminum materials, saving fuel.

Overture also ditches the moveable nose, a staple of the Concorde design that helped pilots see out the front windshield when traversing airports.

Scholl said Overture would replace that with an "augmented reality vision system" powered by two cameras on the landing gear, which has already been successfully demonstrated on Boom's XB-1 prototype.

"The pilot gets a virtual window through the nose," he said. "It's much lighter, much more efficient, much more reliable than mechanical equipment, and gives the pilots a much better view than any kind of traditional windscreen."

Boom is building its own engine

Boom's homegrown turbofan engine, Symphony, is being built to propel Overture between New York and London in less than four hours or between Seattle and Tokyo in less than five.

They're expected to run at a maximum Mach 1.7 — slower than Concorde's Mach 2.04.

The company decided to build its own engine, which is expected to run on 100% sustainable aviation fuels, after major manufacturers declined to help.

Scholl said the four engines would sit under the wings — making them easily accessible for maintenance — and be 20% more fuel efficient than those on the Concorde. The Concorde also had four engines but used turbojets instead of more efficient and quieter turbofans.

"This is not a new technology, it's the kind of engine that's been around since the 1940s," Scholl said. "What we're doing is building the first turbofan that is designed to fit a supersonic airliner perfectly."

He added that Symphony won't need the afterburners that are common in supersonic engines. This would make Overture's engine more efficient at high speeds, require less maintenance, and be more noise-friendly to airport communities.

Possible supersonic flights over land

One of Boom's biggest challenges is flying supersonic over land without producing a disruptive sonic boom. Regulators restricted Concorde's Mach-speed flying to only over oceans because of this.

Scholl initially said eliminating the noisy overland boom would be a focus of later versions of Overture.

However, the company's recent Boomless Cruise findings — which explored a physics concept called "Mach cutoff" that refracts the boom and dissipates it before hitting the ground — may pave the way for a quicker rollout.

"This allows Boom to reexamine the possibilities of Overture quietly breaking the sound barrier over land," a spokesperson told BI, adding that data was collected and evaluated via XB-1's supersonic flights.

Boom's push for supersonic overland flights has the backing of Elon Musk, who said the Trump Administration would "get rid of all regulations that make no sense, like this one."

If the law is amended, Boom could offer domestic Mach-speed travel for the first time.

Lower airfare and a taller cabin

Boom's plan to eliminate the high costs associated with the Concorde may bring down supersonic ticket prices — making the jet more affordable for airlines and customers.

Scholl said business fares would hover around $5,000 roundtrip instead of the Concorde's up to $20,000 — and that's with fewer seats onboard to sell.

"It's not yet for everybody, but the top 20% of flyers are already at that price point today," he said. "That's tens of millions of people, so for the same price point, you'd be able to get there in half the time."

Boom has secured 130 Overture orders from carriers like American Airlines and United Airlines, and Scholl said they'd boast a better cabin than what British Airways and Air France fit on the Concorde.

Specifically, Boom's airliner is designed to have between 64 and 80 seats, instead of up to 128 on Concorde — offering more space to travelers. The seats are expected to be innovated for comfort.

The Concorde was infamous for its low door and ceiling. Scholl said Overture's entry door would be 10 inches taller.

"That's an inch taller than [the door] on a Boeing 737," he said. "Unless you're LeBron James, you won't have to duck to get on."

• Lufthansa is experiencing a disastrous rollout of its new Allegris business-class seat.
• The seats don't fit on the upper deck of Boeing 747-8s, and face certification woes on the 787.
• The Allegris-related issues are hampering Lufthansa's ability to capture more premium revenue.

Certification and fit issues with fancy new business class seats are hampering one of Europe's largest airlines and its financial turnaround.

German flag carrier Lufthansa confirmed to Business Insider that its new "Allegris" business class doesn't fit on the upper deck of its Boeing 747-8 jets because of their narrow noses.

To proceed with planned retrofits, the company has decided to fit two of the 747s with a staggered layout by the end of 2025 — meaning one level will have Allegris, while the other will have the old seats.

German aviation journalist Andreas Spaeth first reported the issues on Tuesday.

Lufthansa is also unable to receive Allegris-equipped Boeing 787 Dreamliners due to certification issues, adding to the headaches.

The Allegris rollout is meant to refresh Lufthansa's fleet with a more competitive cabin and attract more high-paying flyers as the airline struggles to turn a profit.

Boeing 747s will feature odd split cabins

Lufthansa's retrofitted 747s won't be consistent, forcing travelers to pay extra attention to their seat assignments when booking.

The project involves configuring the lower deck with 48 of the new Allegris business class seats but leaving the upper deck with the plane's 32 old business class seats.

Customers on the lower deck Allegris cabin will enjoy a posh seat with a sliding door, wireless charging, advanced in-flight entertainment, and direct aisle access.

Those on the upper deck, however, will be stuck with an older 2x2 cabin where window-seat passengers cannot freely access the aisle. The seats also lack Allegris' modern amenities.

Lufthansa confirmed the 747's old first-class seats would remain in place as the airline works out the shaping challenge.

Delayed Boeing 787s due to Allegris certification

Lufthansa has 34 Boeing 787 Dreamliners on order to replace its aging Airbus A340 quad-jets. Each is expected to be delivered with the new Allegris cabin.

However, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to certify the seat for the Dreamliner, despite Boeing fitting Allegris onto some of the already-built jets destined for Lufthansa.

The airline's A350 was delivered with Allegris because it has secured full certification by European regulators. The business class design is complicated, with seven unique seating options.

The regulatory hiccup has delayed deliveries of Lufthansa's much-needed new widebodies, impacting its planned network. The FAA told BI that it would not comment on ongoing certification work.

In the meantime, Lufthansa said the airline and Boeing are working to get some of the Allegris-equipped planes into service by the summer but with business rows blocked.

Lufthansa would instead only sell the already-FAA-certified Allegris economy and premium economy cabins and fly with business class empty.

Blocking the money-earning premium cabin could impact Lufthansa's revenue opportunities, but the airline said it plans to deploy the 787s on medium-haul routes with less business demand.

Lufthansa CEO Jens Ritter told journalists in January that the airline is moving six non-Allegris-equipped Airbus A350s to Frankfurt this summer to pad its schedule, the German outlet airliners.de reported.

Allegris' disastrous rollout could hamper revenue

Lufthansa outlined a financial turnaround plan in 2024 after several quarters of losses driven by frequent aircraft maintenance, plane shortages, high costs, and labor strikes.

In January, Ritter said that despite some improvements in the second half of 2024, profitability is "not there yet."

While Lufthansa is already facing supply chain issues for its Airbus A320s and delays of its on-order Boeing 777Xs, the Allegris rollout has particularly amplified the financial woes.

The delay is forcing Lufthansa to fly gas-guzzling older planes for longer and forgo capacity on long-haul routes, increasing operating costs while simultaneously preventing Lufthansa from cashing in on booming premium demand.

US carriers like Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have taken advantage of this demand for premium seats, especially across the Atlantic.

Lufthansa's fleet of nine Allegris-equipped A350s may help soften the blow to long-haul revenue.

On Tuesday, the airline announced three new US routes for the Allegris A350s from Frankfurt starting in spring, including to Newark, New Jersey, San Diego, and Charlotte.

• Boeing's quality issues and Airbus' supply chain problems have created a global jet shortage.
• American Airlines cut routes amid delayed 787s, while Ryanair lowered its capacity outlook for 2025.
• US budget carrier Breeze delayed route launches due to Airbus jets coming up to two months late.

Production struggles at Boeing and Airbus have forced airlines around the world to cut routes and spend more to keep older planes flying, even as travel demand soars.

Airlines reeling from delays have looked to aircraft lessors to fill the gaps, but likely won't see much relief in 2025 as Boeing works to get its assembly lines back on track.

The embattled manufacturer delivered 348 planes in 2024, down from 528 the year prior. Its rival, Airbus, nearly doubled that at 766 aircraft deliveries.

"The first half is going to reflect our gradual, steady restart of the factory, and the second half is likely going to benefit from achieving higher production rates," Boeing's chief financial officer Brian West said in January of the year ahead. "2025, in some ways, could look like 2023, maybe a bit better if things go our way."

Boeing's 737 Max production is still capped

A federally mandated cap on production of 737 Max planes is hampering deliveries for waiting airlines.

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair, for example, cut its traffic target for 2025, and Southwest Airlines said it expects up to 100 fewer Max jets than its agreed-upon 136.

American Airlines, United Airlines, and budget carrier Allegiant Air have similarly cut their 2025 delivery expectations and are couching their schedules and crew staffing.

This is a particular nuisance as airlines try to capitalize on booming travel demand. Lower seat capacity may also result in higher ticket prices for customers.

Two new 737 Max variants — the Max 7 and the Max 10 — are still waiting on certification. It's unclear when they may enter service.

After the 2024 door plug blowout, United removed the Max 10 from its 2025 plans, while Southwest cut the Max 7 from its 2024 capacity. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in March its on-order Max 10s could be delayed to 2027.

Overall, airlines appear optimistic about Boeing's turnaround.

United's CFO, Mike Leskinen, said in a January earnings call that the airline is bullish about the Max 10 as Boeing starts to "make some real progress in improving their business."

Southwest and Allegiant also appear higher on Boeing after both received more Max planes than expected in the fourth quarter.

"[Boeing] appear[s] to be on a good path, and we're feeling more optimistic," Southwest CEO Bob Jordan said. "Regardless, we think it's prudent to hedge our bets."

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company wants to increase Max production to 42 a month by the end of 2025, which can only happen if Boeing meets FAA-mandated performance standards.

Late 787 Dreamliners are forcing route cuts

Boeing's popular widebody 787 Dreamliner has faced a slew of quality problems.

American cut three planned 787 routes to Europe this summer and reduced frequencies on two others, data from Cirium shows. The delays have already forced it to delay the launch of its new Flagship business class, which is expected later this year.

This is particularly bad news for American as it tries to keep up with the growing transatlantic market, which has been a boon for United and Delta.

In the Middle East, Riyadh, a new airline hoping to boost Saudi Arabia's tourism and economy, has postponed its launch from early 2025 to the third quarter because it cannot obtain the needed 787s.

Boeing said it expects to get some backlogged Dreamliners out the door in early 2025 as it shuts down the designated "shadow factory" — assembly lines that address quality problems on already-built jets.

Boeing's newest plane is six years late and counting

Boeing said in its earnings call that it still expects to launch its long-delayed 777X in 2026 — six years after the plane's initially expected 2020 service entry.

Emirates has been vocal about the 777X production and design setbacks.

President Tim Clark said in November the airline should have already had 85 in its fleet and has subsequently spent more money flying older planes longer to cope.

About 500 orders have been placed for the 777X from over a dozen global carriers, though none are in the US.

The plane restarted test flights in January after a five-month pause.

Airbus planes face supply chain challenges

While Boeing remains the most prominent cause of airline delivery delays worldwide, Airbus has faced "persistent specific supply chain issues mainly in engines, aerostructures, and cabin equipment."

This has impacted carriers like Spirit Airlines and JetBlue Airways in 2024, and is expected to keep planes grounded through 2025.

Latvian carrier airBaltic recently announced thousands of summer flight cuts due to delayed Airbus A220 engines from supplier Pratt and Whitney.

Breeze Airways' CEO David Neeleman told Business Insider in January that some of the budget carrier's A220s are coming "one or two months late," adding the airline is also facing engine shortages.

The A220 delays pushed back the launch of some Breeze routes from spring 2025 to fall.

"It's been a little frustrating," Neeleman said. "I still can't figure out how you have supply chain issues four years after Covid."

• Flexjet offers luxury helicopter rides in New York City.
• I crossed Manhattan via helicopter instead of a car. It was fun, but I worried about the noise.
• Flexjet CEO Michael Silvestro said the company tries to be a "good citizen" around city communities.

Most people commute in and out of New York City by train, ferry, or car. But some in the upper echelons of society can afford to fly above the chaos.

I recently took a demo flight on a Flexjet Sikorsky S-76 helicopter between Manhattan and Teterboro, New Jersey, to experience how the rich travel in a hurry. It cut travel time from what could be over an hour to just minutes

Private charter companies like Flexjet, Blade, and HeliFlite connect heliports on the east and west sides of Manhattan to suburban hot spots like New Jersey, Westchester County, the Hamptons, and other affluent areas.

I immediately saw how the pricey helicopter rides are well worth the convenience for these deep-pocketed people — and the helicopters come with ritzy perks like free alcohol and food and luxe VIP cabins.

But I couldn't ignore the effects on residents and the need for these companies and their customers to be conscious of the noise and environmental impacts.

A local activist group called "Stop the Chop" wants to eliminate non-essential helicopter rides over NYC, including for tourism and charters. The New York City Council has proposed legislation to meet this demand, including proposing a noise tax. A similar bill passed the state senate last year.

Flexjet CEO Michael Silvestro told Business Insider it is aware of the disturbances to New Yorkers, adding the company is carbon neutral and works to reduce its noise footprint.

"We're always trying to be good citizens, no matter what we do, whether it's environment or noise abatement," he said. "We try to follow all of our aircraft's protocols to those who live nearby."

Flexjet says it focuses on safety, luxury, and noise abatement

Silvestro said Flexjet's helicopters are largely used for airport transfers to complement its private jet operation, with some on-demand and charter flying.

For example, someone may fly in a Flexjet Gulfstream G650 from London to Teterboro and then use a helicopter to transfer to Manhattan. Silvestro said the transfer is included in the total charter cost and helps differentiate it from other private aviation companies.

Flexjet's six-seater Sikorsky is fancy, with drawers full of drinks and snacks, including alcohol like tequila and fireball whiskey. Passengers didn't have to wear headsets.

My ride took under 10 minutes, taking off just a two-minute walk from where I parked my car — and there was no security check. We departed from and arrived at a private terminal.

Some travelers may be weary of helicopters, but Flexjet has a long history of safety and requires its helicopter pilots to have at least 3,000 hours of flight experience. The Sikorsky helicopters also require two pilots instead of one.

Thanks to the sunny weather, my journey was quick and easy. Silvestro said it wouldn't operate helicopters in rough conditions.

"Helicopters are more weather-dependent," he said. "There are a lot of times when we're flying in and out of here with our fixed-wing jets but won't fly our helicopters because the weather is below our safety standards."

Flexjet uses several noise abatement strategies when flying over cities.

For example, it doesn't fly outside curfew hours to minimize nighttime disturbances and uses specific flight corridors that reduce noise near more communities.

Helicopters are loud, but there aren't any as speedy alternatives

Helicopter flying in New York will likely remain popular in the highly populated city as a way for the wealthy to avoid the common folks' congested ground transportation, despite the ongoing efforts to reduce traffic in the city.

New York implemented an up-to-$9 congestion pricing toll in January to deter more cars from entering Manhattan's busiest areas — lessening traffic, honks, and carbon emissions — but that has only prompted more helicopter flights.

Blade has since begun offering $95 flights to and from New Jersey and Long Island to commuters who want — and can afford — to skip the traffic altogether.

The city has also considered electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles, or eVTOLs, as a quieter and more carbon-friendly solution. None have been certified yet.

United Airlines hopes to begin flying air taxis made by California-based Archer Avition between Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Manhattan as soon as 2025.

These would compete with Blade, for example, which is also planning to adopt electric aircraft to battle surging noise complaints.

Silvestro said eVTOLs are a significant innovation in the industry, and Flexjet is considering how to incorporate them — especially since it already has experience flying helicopters that have similar operating factors.

"Things like air traffic control and landing zones that affect helicopters today will affect eVTOLs in the future," he said. "We feel we have a strategic, practical window into how to operate eVTOLs when they enter the market."

• Amid a blitz across the federal government, DOGE is set to take on the FAA next.
• Musk said that DOGE would "aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system."
• It comes on the heels of a deadly plane crash near Washington DC.

On the heel of a deadly plane crash outside of Washington, DC, Elon Musk says the "Department of Government Efficiency" will be making changes to the country's air traffic control system.

Musk wrote on X that he and DOGE had President Donald Trump's support and "will aim to make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system."

He noted that over the weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration's safety notification system "failed for several hours."

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the news saying Musk's team was "going to plug in to help upgrade our aviation system."

It was not immediately clear on Wednesday what changes Musk and DOGE planned to make, and the White House did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

Last week, an American Airlines flight collided with a military Blackhawk helicopter above the Potomac River near Washington, DC, killing all 67 people aboard both aircraft.

Trump and Vice President JD Vance blamed diversity initiatives for the incident. The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation and expects the preliminary report to be available within 30 days of the crash.

According to the NTSB's latest update, the Blackhawk is still in the Potomac and holds key information for the investigation. The agency has completed interviews with the air traffic controllers involved.

In recent days, Musk's DOGE team has been on a blitz across the federal government, gaining access to the Treasury's payment processing system and seizing control of the US Agency for International Development, provoking outrage from Democratic lawmakers.

• Many people intentionally book flights with long connections so they can explore the layover city.
• Airlines capitalize on this trend with "stopover" programs, some even offering free hotels and food.
• Southwest's new partnership with Icelandair will enable its customers to enjoy the perk.

Southwest Airlines' new partnership with Icelandair will allow travelers to extend their layover time in the island nation for up to a week through the European carrier's popular "stopover" program.

Southwest-Icelandair itineraries connecting from the US to Europe via Reykjavik will be eligible. These itineraries can be booked via Icelandair's website.

It's part of the pair's new "interline" agreement, which means passengers can seamlessly travel on both airlines with one ticket. The main perk is not having to re-check luggage for non-stopover connections.

It's unclear if or when the stopover option will be available via booking on Southwest's website, as Icelandair manages the program. Southwest plans to begin selling Icelandair seats in 2026.

The partnership comes as Southwest shakes up its business model to create more revenue-earnings opportunities.

Southwest and Icelandair's first shared US gateway will be Baltimore, which will launch in February. Denver and Nashville will follow later this year.

What is an airline 'stopover' itinerary

A special segment of adventurous travelers will purposely book itineraries with long connections in layover cities just to leave the airport and explore for a few hours or days between flights.

This strategy has been coined as "stopovers" in the industry, and more than a dozen global airlines have jumped on the growing trend.

It's basically a vacation within a vacation. These can come with free or discounted hotels, excursions, transportation, and food at the layover destination.

Although it sounds too good to be true, stopovers benefit everyone involved.

Travelers don't have to be confined to an airport during lengthy connections, airlines gain customers who may have otherwise chosen a nonstop option on a competitor, and the carrier's home country sees a boost in tourism.

Plus, airlines typically pay a small fee for cheap or complimentary accommodations provided as part of the stopover option, thanks to partnerships with local hotels or tour companies.

Not all stopover programs are structured with an emphasis on tourism, though. Some were created simply to offer conveniences during long layovers. Still, they are a way to secure a free hotel and explore an extra city.

Here are 21 global airline stopover programs, which can range from hours to months.

Air Canada

Air Canada's Aeroplan loyalty program includes a stopover option for award flights. Adding it costs 5,000 points.

The airline also offers a stopover of up to 48 hours in Toronto for regular itineraries.

Air France/KLM

Air France and Dutch carrier KLM's Flying Blue loyalty program offers a stopover of 24 hours or more in a connecting city on either carrier or their airline partners.

Azores Airlines

The airline allows a stopover of up to seven days in the Portuguese Azores islands.

China Southern Airlines

China Southern Airlines offers a free one-night hotel stay for transfer passengers with qualifying connection times, though there are some time and route restrictions.

Copa Airlines

Copa Airlines' Panama stopover program allows customers to spend anywhere from 24 hours to seven days in the nation's capital on their outbound or return trip.

Emirates

Emirates allows a stopover in Dubai, and passengers can add discounted tours or hotel bookings to their itinerary via its website.

It also has a "Dubai Connect" program that gives eligible passengers a complimentary hotel, transfers, meals, and any needed visa. However, you can't intentionally book a longer layover to quality for the free stopover hotel.

Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopian Airlines' transit program gives customers flying via Addis Ababa a free hotel, transit visa, and transfers during layovers lasting between eight and 24 hours.

Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways offers a stopover in its Abu Dhabi hub, which comes with an undisclosed discount at select three-star hotels for up to two nights.

Fiji Airways

Fiji Airways offers a stopover program in Fiji, with options to book hotels and activities, for those traveling to and from Australia, New Zealand, and other South Pacific nations.

Finnair

Finnair allows passengers to book 6, 12, or 24-hour layovers in Helsinki at no additional fare charge and outlines itinerary ideas, like hotels and walking tours, on its website.

Iberia

Iberia customers can plan a stopover in Madrid to or from an international destination for one to six nights at no extra cost.

Icelandair

Icelandair offers a stopover option for one to seven days in its capital city of Reykjavik on transatlantic itineraries for no additional charge.

Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines considers itself one of the "most stopover-friendly" carriers in the world. It triggers at 24 hours.

Latam Airlines

Latam Airlines offers stopovers for between one and three days on flights that connect in select cities.

Qantas

Australian flag carrier Qantas offers its stopovers by allowing multi-city bookings to be manipulated to add extra days between flights in layover cities.

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways' stopover program allows passengers with a minimum layover of 12 hours and up to 96 hours to choose from a list of deeply discounted four and five-star hotels.

Royal Jordanian Airlines

Royal Jordanian Airlines' transit program offers free hotel rooms, meals, and transit to economy and business-class travelers with eligible layover times.

Passengers can't intentionally book a longer layover to be eligible for the complimentary perks.

Swiss International Air Lines

Swiss International Air Lines, or SWISS, has a multi-city stopover booking tool on its website that allows passengers to find itineraries with extra days in Switzerland.

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines' stopover program is available via the multi-city tool where travelers can add hotels, transfers, and activities. The stopover can last one to seven days.

Singapore also offers free transit tours to passengers with eligible layover times at Singapore's Changi Airport.

TAP Air Portugal

TAP Air Portugal allows customers to add a stopover in Lisbon or Porto between one and 10 days, offering discounts on hotels, food, and activities.

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines' stopover program gives eligible travelers a free hotel between their connecting flights in Istanbul if the layover exceeds 20 hours.

• A Canadian airline plans to expand its fleet with a futuristic "blended-wing body" aircraft.
• The design would be a first in commercial aviation.
• The manufacturer plans to also build a 200-person airliner to challenge Boeing and Airbus.

Canadian charter airline Nolinor Aviation has agreed to buy an all-new aircraft type known as a "blended-wing body" as it expands beyond its all-Boeing fleet.

The futuristic cargo plane "Kona" is being developed by California-based startup Natlius. Its design combines the fuselage and wings into one section that the company says can reduce fuel consumption by 30%.

Smaller than some other cargo-specific planes in service today, Kona would complement Nolinor's fleet of larger Boeing 737-200 freighters when it enters service after 2028, all of which are at least 40 years old, President Marco Prud'Homme told Business Insider.

"It'll be like opening a new horizon for us, and we can fly to more places that we couldn't in the past," Prud'Homme said. "For example, the 737-200 would be too much capacity for some communities, but a weekly flight with Kona would be perfect."

He pointed to its 50% lower operating costs compared to similar plane types and its ability to reach more remote places, land on unpaved terrain, and carry more bulky cargo than competing planes.

Kona can handle rough terrain essential to rural flying

Nolinor's main business is flying for mining companies in Northern Canada, including carrying passengers and cargo to various sites. Prud'Homme said the airline flies five or six times a day up north.

There is little infrastructure in these areas, meaning most of the runways are gravel, grass, ice, or dirt. Nolinor has historically relied on its aging 737-200 aircraft to reach these places, thanks to a special kit that can be equipped on the jetliner.

Newer 737 models do not have this ability — greatly limiting Nolinor's fleet options. However, Natlius' Kona aircraft is being designed to tackle the job.

Natilus CEO Aleksey Matyushev told BI that Kona's field performance is focused on gravel, dirt, and grass, but it would likely not be ice-capable.

He added that the carbon-fiber fuselage would have a special coating to protect it from gravel or other terrain being kicked up, and the propellers would be optimally located away from much debris.

While competing propeller aircraft, like the De Havilland Canada Otter or the Pilatus PC-12, can also land on unpaved runways, Prud'Homme said Kona's engine placement was a major selling point.

"It's a very costly operation," he said. "When we saw their design has the engines mounted at the back of the aircraft, and basically the aircraft becomes the protection for the engines, we saw that this was a great potential for us."

Less cargo but more market opportunities

Kona would carry about 8,500 pounds of cargo — far less than the nearly 30,000-pound carrying capability of Nolinor's 737-200.

However, Prud'Homme said the smaller Kona's 900-nautical-mile range and nearly 1,200 cubic feet of cargo space would open new market opportunities and is overall better performing than competing options.

He explained that one of the mining missions Nolinor is eyeing would require 5,000 to 6,000 pounds of cargo, which Kona could carry and deliver within two hours.

Kona's fuel savings also mean it won't need to refuel after one leg, saving time and money. Its side-loading door could create efficiency in loading and unloading.

Prud'Homme said the aircraft would largely carry perishable goods, but it could also carry equipment and appliances.

He added that the diamond-shaped Kona could also uniquely accommodate awkward-sized items that traditional tube-and-wing planes can't.

"Sometimes the problem we have up north is that we bulk out on volume before payload because some of those items are not very heavy, but they take a lot of space," Prud'Homme said. "Kona has a lot of volume capacity, so that's interesting for us."

The competing ATR 72-600 freighter, for example, can carry more than twice the weight of Kona but has 150 fewer cubic feet of volume. The Cessna Sky Courier falls short of Kona in both metrics.

Natlius wants to eventually compete with Boeing and Airbus

Beyond Kona, Natilus is also looking to create a 200-passenger BWB airliner named Horizon to challenge Boeing and Airbus.

Matyushev previously told BI that the plane isn't expected to hit the market until the early 2030s. But it's expected to fill a perceived market gap that Natilus believes Boeing and Airbus cannot handle.

Prud'Homme said Horizon, with its 50% better fuel efficiency than traditional jetliners, could eventually replace Nolinor's 737 aircraft.

Matyushev said Natlius is in talks with various companies for both of its planned planes.

The company has already secured purchase agreements for Kona from the US cargo airline Ameriflight, a partner of FedEx, DHL, and UPS — and it expects to gain further cargo business in remote places in Alaska, Africa, and India.

"The only way to really connect these mines or remote communities is through air travel," Matyushev said. "Of course, freight is a huge part of that whole equation."

• The American Airlines jet that crashed in DC was given a runway change minutes before the tragedy.
• Audio tapes show the military helicopter had the passenger plane "in sight" before the collision.
• The NTSB will look at pilot and air traffic control actions when investigating the crash.

In the minutes before an American Airlines flight crashed into the Potomac River in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, an air traffic controller requested a last-minute runway change.

The regional jet, operated by PSA Airlines, was descending over Virginia and headed for the north-facing "Mount Vernon Visual Runway 1" approach at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Pilots had confirmed their approach to air traffic controllers at the airport tower around 8:42 p.m.

Moments later, a controller reported high crosswinds on Runway 1 and asked the pilots to shift to the intersecting runway.

"Bluestreak 5342 Washington Tower winds are 320 at 17, gusts 25. Can you take Runway 33?" the controller said. Bluestreak is the call sign for PSA flights.

The pilots agreed, and within minutes, the plane collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter. All 67 people on board both aircraft died.

Business Insider reviewed official briefings, flight data, and air traffic control audio recordings to piece together what happened before tragedy struck.

The plane and helicopter's final moments of flight

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is an extremely busy airspace, but officials said it was a largely normal night of flying. Winds were gusty — something pilots are trained for — and the skies were clear.

The American flight had been approaching from the south, following the Potomac River along a well-known path for pilots and frequent flyers of the DC area.

The narrow corridor helps separate traffic from highly secure airspace around the White House, Pentagon, and other government buildings.

Seconds before the American flight agreed to change its path, another PSA jet responded to the same request to shift to Runway 33 as "unable," meaning it was not in a position to make the adjustment.

That flight, from Montgomery, Alabama, landed on Runway 1 as planned and continued to its gate.

The PSA pilots of flight 5342 accepting the change is not unusual. Runway 33 is a shorter strip that faces Northwest and can handle a regional aircraft like the Bombardier CRJ700 the pilots were flying.

The switch-up required the plane to move from its north-facing heading toward the Potomac's east bank before swinging back over the river to land.

At approximately 8:43 p.m., flight 5342 was cleared to land.

At the same time as the crew of flight 5342 was prepping for the new runway, an Army Black Hawk helicopter was making its way south along the river's eastern shore, following a standard, published path known as "Route 4."

Several of these channels cut through the DC area, allowing military aircraft to coexist with commercial traffic in and out of airports.

At about 8:47 p.m., a controller asked the helicopter, call sign PAT25, if they had "the CRJ in sight" and to pass behind it. The CRJ refers to the regional CRJ700 aircraft operated by PSA.

The helicopter pilot confirmed that they had the "aircraft in sight" and requested "visual separation."

Just seconds later, gasps from controllers can be heard on the audio tapes. ATC began canceling flight landings and diverting planes from National.

DC fire chief John Donnelly said emergency vehicles were on the scene by 8:58 p.m. to begin rescue operations.

Human factors are just one consideration for investigators

At a briefing Thursday, officials from the National Transportation Safety Board said teams will examine human factors as they piece together a complete picture of the crash.

"They will study the crew performance and all of the actions and factors that might be involved in human error, including fatigue, medication, medical histories, training, workload, equipment design, and work environment," NTSB member Todd Inman said. They'll also be combing through the wreckage and other evidence for clues as to what went wrong.

A preliminary FAA report obtained by the New York Times and others said staffing at National's ATC tower was "not normal" at the time of the crash. The outlet reported that the controller was handling the duties of two people, including directing helicopters in the area and passenger planes landing and taking off.

Inman said during a Friday press conference that an air traffic controller group will be conducting interviews over the next several days for the NTSB's investigation.

The NTSB official added that the black boxes from both aircraft, which will provide key insights into the moments leading up to the collision, were recovered.

Brian Alexander, a military helicopter pilot and a partner at aviation accident firm Kreindler & Kreindler, told BI that the nighttime conditions, many aircraft lights, and busy skies may have contributed to the catastrophe.

"There was another jet on final, a couple of other jets on final, and it's conceivable the helicopter pilot was watching the wrong aircraft," he said, emphasizing that was speculation at this point.

An airline pilot previously told BI that flying in and out of National was like "threading a needle" due to the highly restricted corridors and heavy traffic, including low-flying helicopters.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a former Black Hawk pilot, told reporters that military pilots generally wouldn't talk directly to PSA pilots on the radio, but "everyone's listening on the same frequency."

She said the PSA plane would know that the Black Hawk was in the area but would be relying on ATC as the intermediary.

"Did one of the aircraft stray away latitude, sideways in the airspace from the route that they were supposed to be on? Was the Black Hawk higher than the 200 feet?" Duckworth said. "These are all things that the accident investigators would be looking at."

The NTSB said its preliminary report is expected to be published within 30 days.

• An American Airlines flight collided with a helicopter, raising questions about air traffic control.
• Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a former Black Hawk pilot, said military and civilian pilots usually do not speak directly to each other.
• The FAA faces a shortage of controllers, impacting high-traffic areas like Washington DC.

The crash of an American Airlines flight in Washington, DC, has renewed anxiety about air-traffic control staffing and procedures at US airports, especially in crowded airspaces.

As investigators began to piece together how a military helicopter collided with the regional jet, questions swirled about communication between the pilots and Reagan National Airport's control tower.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an ex-Army Black Hawk helicopter pilot, told reporters that military aircraft usually do not talk directly to commercial pilots, as ATC is the responsible intermediary.

"Everybody's listening on the same frequency," she said, adding that the American flight that crashed would have been aware of the Black Hawk helicopter in the skies. "You are listening to instructions from ATC. ATC is telling you what to do."

Duckworth said an FAA briefing involving ATC tapes revealed the helicopter pilots were told about the passenger plane, and the crew confirmed "at least twice" that they had the jet in sight before the crash.

She added that the American flight was cleared to land and would have had the "right of way" and that the Black Hawk was told to pass behind. The flight was in visual flight conditions, meaning the helicopter would be visually searching for the plane.

"They would be looking up to try to find this aircraft, pick it out of the sky as it's coming in for a landing," she said.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, some military and civil aircraft, if equipped, can talk to each other using specific emergency frequencies. This is usually reserved for distress situations where immediate communication is necessary. It's unclear if the Black Hawk was equipped.

"[The Black Hawk's] flight path should have been hugging the east bank of the Potomac River, so they should not have been within the flight path of that landing aircraft," she said. "Did one of the aircraft stray away latitude, sideways in the airspace from the route that they were supposed to be on?"

National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman said the DC area is a unique environment for helicopters and that the Black Hawk was transitioning zones at the time of the crash. ATC is one of the "human factors" the agency will examine as part of its investigation, he said.

Air traffic control is a complex system with many moving parts and no room for errors

The national air traffic system in the US is immense in both size and complexity, 14,000 air traffic controllers handle upwards of 45,000 flights a day across 29 million miles of airspace.

It's an intricate network that includes hundreds of regional and area control centers, each responsible for a specific piece of airspace.

A pilot flying from San Francisco to Washington, DC, for example, could interact with more than 20 different controllers during the flight.

The job is infamous for its high stress and heavy workload, which can involve managing upwards of a dozen flights at a time.

These stressors are amplified for airports like Ronald Reagan National. The airport has strict flight paths and altitude restrictions. It handles more than 25 million passengers a year and is located in highly trafficked and highly controlled airspace, as it is near the White House, Pentagon, and other government buildings.

The airport has seen multiple near misses recently, including a Southwest Airlines flight that was instructed to cross the same runway on which a JetBlue plane was starting its take-off.

A month later, an American Airlines flight was cleared for takeoff at the same time another plane was given the go-ahead to land on an intersecting runway.

Controllers working the airspace in and around Reagan National also have to handle an extraordinary amount of private and military aircraft that operate in the area.

The situation is exacerbated by a shortage of around 3,000 air traffic controllers, which the FAA has worked to address with plans to hire 1,800 controllers in 2024 and 2,000 this year.

• Aviation experts have warned about the risk of a passenger aircraft collision for years.
• They cite air traffic controller shortages and airspace congestion as safety risks.
• Wednesday's crash is the first complete-loss US airline accident since 2009.

Pilots and aviation workers have sounded alarm bells for years about the risks of midair collisions. Those fears became a reality on Wednesday when an American Airlines flight collided with a helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington, DC, with 67 people presumed dead.

Brian Alexander, a military helicopter pilot and a partner at the aviation accident law firm Kreindler & Kreindler, told Business Insider that a shortage of air traffic controllers and increasing airspace congestion have affected safety.

"Our whole air traffic control system has been blinking red, screaming at us that we've we've got it overloaded," he said. "The intense inadequacy of the staffing and the overwork of the controllers is palpable."

He said the US should invest in more airport technology to help controllers and pilots.

Anthony Brickhouse, a professor at the College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle, also cited increased flight congestion as a significant safety risk at airports nationwide. He said he wasn't surprised a crash like this one 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 said that air traffic control actions and aircraft communications will be a significant focus of the investigation.

Washington National is among the busiest and most restricted airspaces in the US. A US pilot previously told BI that flying in the area is like "threading a needle."

Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who successfully landed a plane on the Hudson River in 2009 with no fatalities, told The New York Times on Wednesday that the DC airport has dated technology.

"It hasn't changed much since then," he said, referring to the airport's construction in the 1930s. "Of course, we've added technology to it. But a lot of the technology is old."

Despite the collision, experts say flying is still very safe, with thousands of planes taking off and landing safely every day.

President Donald Trump said in a Thursday press conference that he would not hesitate to fly.

"Flying is very safe," he added. "We have the safest flying anywhere in the world, and we'll keep it that way."

The US has been battling near misses for years

Wednesday's collision between a regional jet and a military Black Hawk helicopter comes after a string of near misses in recent years, including close calls in New York City and Austin in 2023.

These near misses prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to create a safety review committee to examine their causes and recommend solutions. In November 2023, the committee recommended increased staffing, added funding to enable continued FAA safety oversight, and investing in airport technology.

Several planes got too close for comfort at Washington National this past spring, followed by another near-miss in Nashville in September, all spurring investigations.

Brickhouse said that given the past few years of close calls, not enough changes have been made to prevent planes from colliding.

"If you continually have near misses and changes aren't made, eventually you will have a tragedy," he said. "For years, I've been saying to everyone who will listen that the next major accident will be something in the airport area involving a collision."

In October, the FAA launched an audit into runway incursion risks at the US's busiest airports to identify "potential gaps in procedures, equipment, and processes" and recommend safety actions. The audit was expected to be completed in early 2025.

The audit came shortly after the FAA said in September that it had exceeded its controller hiring goal for the 2024 fiscal year but was still short about 3,000 personnel.

The concept of "blood priority" is likely to emerge in the aftermath of Wednesday's crash. In aviation safety, this means that needed changes will not be implemented until after a major accident and deaths occur — despite US safety officials pushing to be a more proactive industry than a reactive one.

"We've had to learn important lessons literally with blood too often, and we had finally gotten beyond that, to where we could learn from incidents, and not accidents," Sullenberger told the Times.

First complete-loss crash of a US airliner since 2009

Wednesday's tragedy is the first time a US airline has experienced a fatal, total loss of aircraft since 2009 when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed into a house in Buffalo, New York. The 49 people on board and one person on the ground died.

A pilot's incorrect response to the plane's stall warning was eventually blamed for the crash, with fatigue cited as a contributing factor.

"After a 15-year unprecedented run of zero United States air carrier crashes, that streak has ended with this tragic crash, and the safety clock begins again a new run," Kathleen Bangs, an aviation safety analyst and a former pilot, told BI.

Another crash in 2013 on US soil resulted in fatalities when the South Korean carrier Asiana Airlines crashed while landing in San Francisco.

The American crash marks the third fatal accident globally since December. An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer plane crashed midflight on Christmas Day, likely the result of being inadvertently hit by a Russian air-defense system. Thirty-eight people died, including the two pilots, while 29 passengers survived.

A few days later, a Boeing 737 operated by South Korean carrier Jeju Airlines crashed during landing, killing 179 people. The investigation into that crash is ongoing.

• Trump suggested on Thursday that diversity initiatives at the FAA led to a plane crash near DC.
• The president said he was offering a series of "very strong opinions and ideas" on what happened.
• He also criticized former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Thursday offered heated criticism of diversity initiatives at the Federal Aviation Administration following a deadly plane crash near Washington, DC.

After calling for a moment of silence, Trump spent the bulk of his remarks in the White House briefing room laying out a series of diversity initiatives within the FAA that he suggested could have contributed to the crash, which happened Wednesday evening.

At the same time, Trump repeatedly acknowledged that he did not have direct evidence of a causal link between those initiatives and the crash.

"We do not know what led to this crash, but we have some very strong opinions and ideas," Trump told reporters.

During his remarks, Trump also criticized former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, suggesting that the department's policies under him contributed to the crash.

"You know how badly everything's run since he's run the Department of Transportation?" Trump said of Buttigieg.

Buttigieg later hit back via X: "As families grieve, Trump should be leading, not lying."

Pressed by a reporter on why he thought diversity initiatives might be behind the crash, Trump said: "Because I have common sense."

Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, said in a statement that his organization was "disgusted by this display of unpresidential, divisive behavior."

"We're proud to see thousands of first responders in the DMV region unify to support the enormous recovery efforts taking place on the Potomac," Johnson said. "The President has made his decision to put politics over people abundantly clear as he uses the highest office in the land to sow hatred rooted in falsehoods instead of providing us with the leadership we need and deserve."

Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate commerce committee's Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation, pushed back strongly on Trump's comments in a call with reporters.

"I have seen zero evidence at this point that's to suggest that this collision had anything to do with DEI," Duckworth said. "Speculation at this time is highly irresponsible, and we need to get to the facts."

Vance also criticized diversity initiatives, saying: "If you go back to just some of the headlines over the past 10 years, you have many hundreds of people suing the government because they would like to be air traffic controllers, but they were turned away because of the color of their skin. That policy ends under Donald Trump's leadership."

Since Trump reassumed the presidency last week, he's taken a series of actions aimed at ending diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts across the federal government, including one dealing specifically with the FAA. As a result, DEI-related offices in various agencies have shuttered.

Trump has directed agencies to compile lists of private companies to investigate over their DEI efforts, which could lead to a cascade effect in the private sector.

Many companies, including Meta, McDonald's, and Walmart, have decided in recent months to roll back or end their DEI programs.

"The legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the United States is changing," Meta wrote in a memo to employees. "The Supreme Court of the United States has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI."

Target also recently said it was ending multiple DEI programs to stay "in step with the evolving external landscape."

Others, like Costco, have publicly supported DEI amid pressures from conservative activists. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon recently defended the bank's diversity initiatives in response to activist investors.

• 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.

• Boom Supersonic's XB-1 test jet broke the sound barrier for the first time on Tuesday.
• The XB-1 is a subscale version of its planned passenger model.
• The company's CEO says the US aviation market is being held back by Boeing.

Boom Supersonic just became the first US commercial planemaker to break the sound barrier, a significant milestone in the industry's return to supersonic passenger flight.

CEO Blake Scholl told Business Insider that the company's planned Overture commercial jet is a critical technology for helping the US aviation industry stay ahead of the competition, especially as China's homegrown jetliners gain traction and Boeing continues to face delivery delays.

"Boeing hasn't built a new airplane in 20 years, and China now has a 737 competitor, and they're working on a 787 competitor, "he said. "Unless we innovate here, everyone outside the US will be flying around in Chinese planes, and that's not in the distant future — it's soon."

Overture, a larger and faster passenger-carrying version of the test jet, is planned to launch in 2029 with a top speed of Mach 1.7, Boom says. That's about twice the speed of current airliners. American Airlines, Japan Airlines, and United Airlines have already placed 130 pre-orders for the speedy jet.

Tuesday's flight was the prototype's 12th flight, hitting a top speed of Mach 1.1 over the Mojave Desert. One final test is planned for February before full production begins.

Boom wants the US to beat China to supersonic passenger flights

China's increasing interest in Mach-speed flight has caught the eye of Congress.

Trump's transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, has said he wants to establish rules that promote innovation and creativity in the faster-than-sound market and ensure companies like Boom have access to corridors to test their aircraft — something Scholl said will be an important aid in getting Overture off the ground.

"I am thrilled with the pro-innovation, pro-progress, let's go faster mindset that that we have with Secretary Duffy, he said. "I think that's important because we can't let China win this."

Chinese startup Space Transportation has been developing a Mach 4 aircraft — more than twice the speed of Overture — that it plans to develop into a full-scale passenger airliner capable of hypersonic travel, or Mach 5, by 2030.

Despite the competition, Scholl said China is about a decade behind the US in the supersonic space — but that doesn't mean it can be counted out.

"China is about 10 years behind, and what that means is in 10 years, they're caught up," he said, referring to China as a "freight train coming" in aviation. "In 11 years, they're ahead."

Scholl said Boeing is holding the US back

Scholl said Boeing's ongoing production and quality problems have stalled the introduction of new US-made aircraft types.

The last time the American planemaker built a new airliner was in 2009 when it flew its 787 Dreamliner for the first time. Its yet-to-be-certified 777X is at least six years behind schedule.

"We've watched what used to be a great company at Boeing really struggle," he said. "I think it's really important that we not just leave all of our eggs in the Boeing basket."

He said China's Comac planes, including the C909 and C919, and the under-development C929, could puncture the Airbus-Boeing duopoly.

Comac's fleet rivals Western options but has yet to fly outside of China and Indonesia. Reuters reported that China aims to expand its C919 presence into Southeast Asia by 2026 and obtain European certification as soon as 2025.

Scholl said this expansion could threaten the US's place in the global aviation market, emphasizing Boom's importance to stay ahead.

"If we don't invent and build the next generation of commercial airplanes here in America, it's a problem for jobs, it's a problem for economics, and it's a problem for national security," he said.

Overture could be less costly than the Concorde

Overture could revive the Concorde era and connect places like New York and London in less than four hours, and Seattle and Tokyo in less than five.

Scholl said Overture will be more economical than Concorde, which last flew in 2003, thanks to its 20% more aerodynamic design, lighter carbon-fiber airframe, and 20% more fuel-efficient engines.

Boom's biggest challenge is the engine. The startup chose to build its own engine, Symphony, to power the plane.

"People called us crazy for building our own engines, but what I've come to believe is we were crazy to think of doing it any other way," Scholl said. "It would be really efficient at high speed, not require a lot of maintenance, and be friendly to airport communities."

Symphony is expected to decrease takeoff and landing noise while flying subsonic over land. Scholl said future Overture versions are planned to fly Mach-speed over land by eliminating the sonic boom.

He said another significant change from the Concorde will be ticket price, which will be more affordable due to the 64-80 possible seats and Overture's fuel-saving engines and airframe.

Scholl said business fares will hover around $5,000 roundtrip instead of the Concorde's up to $20,000.

"It's not yet for everybody, but the top 20% of flyers are already at that price point today," he said. "That's tens of millions of people, so for the same price point, you'd be able to get there in half the time."