Sunday Reads: Our Most Notable Stories This Week

With Halloween now nearly upon us, the time has come for our last ‘Sunday Reads’ weekly digest of October. Let’s end the month in style by looking back at some of the top aviation news stories from the last seven days.

Alaska Airlines Places Its Largest Order Ever, Adding 52 Boeing 737 MAXs

Alaska Airlines announced on Wednesday that it would be exercising options to purchase 52 Boeing 737 MAX jets, constituting its biggest aircraft order in its 90 years of operations. Deliveries will take place between 2024 and 2027 and will take the MAX fleet from a planned 94 to 146 aircraft. You can read more about it here.

LATAM Airbus A320 Suffers Nose & Engine Damage Flying To Paraguay

A LATAM Airbus A320 serving flight 1325 between Santiago de Chile Airport (SCL) and Asunción International Airport (ASU) suffered from severe weather this week, forcing the crew to divert to Foz do Iguaçu/Cataratas International Airport (IGU) in Brazil. The alarming incident damaged the nose, engines, and windshield.

Photo: Getty Images

On The Up: Lufthansa’s Q3 Operating Profit Exceeds €1 Billion

The Lufthansa Group has demonstrated its ‘regained profitability’ by posting an operating profit of over €1 billion for the third quarter of 2022. This is more than four times higher than the figure it achieved in this regard for the same period in 2021. The group also had many other reasons to be cheerful in its latest results.

Photo: Airbus

British Airways Brings Full Meal Service Back To Long-Haul Business Class

British Airways has announced that passengers in the airline’s Club World business class cabin will once again enjoy a full meal service. The oneworld alliance member has described its new offering as “a more brasserie-style dining experience,” and the change will no doubt come as welcome news to passengers.

Photo: Getty Images

GOL Adds 18 Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft To Its Existing Order

Brazilian carrier GOL and Boeing have added 18 Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 737 MAX 10 aircraft to the airline’s firm order, increasing it to 110. These are expected to be received between 2023 and 2030, and you can read more about them here.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

LATAM Brasil’s First Female Captain Celebrates 30 Years With The Airline

LATAM Brasil celebrated Brazilian Aviators’ Day on October 23 by highlighting the efforts and achievements of Claudine Melnik, the first female pilot in the airline’s history. This year, she is completing her 30th anniversary with the company.