Sunday Reads: Our Most Notable Stories This Week

Simple Flying

By Jake Hardiman

Published Jul 4, 2021

Having entered the month of July, more than half of 2021 is now in the books. As ever, this week has seen a variety of fascinating stories from the aviation world coming thick and fast. Let's take a look back at some of our most popular articles from the last seven days.

737 Comes Down In The Sea Near Honolulu

Arguably the most eye-catching aviation news from the last seven days has been the story of a 46-year-old Boeing 737-200 freighter that ditched near Honolulu, Hawaii on July 2nd. The classic plane came down after engine trouble, with both pilots (the only people onboard) thankfully being rescued by the coastguard. You can find out more here.

Last Concorde To Fly From New York Gets A New Lick Of Paint

While Concorde sadly no longer grace the world's skies, having not done so since 2003, 90% of the examples that were built have been preserved worldwide. One of these, based at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, has been in the news recently as it prepares for a repaint. You can read more about the latest stage of its preservation life here.

British Airways Concorde G-BOAG — G-BOAG was delivered to BA as G-BFKW in 1980. Photo: Sunil Gupta via Wikimedia Commons

Why Atlanta Is The World’s Busiest Airport

Atlanta is only the US's 37th largest city. As such, it might surprise you to know that, before the pandemic struck, it was consistently ranked the world's busiest airport for several years. Earlier this week, Simple Flying took a closer look into why this is the case.

Delta Atlanta Aircraft Apron — Carriers are keen to clamp down on rowdiness. Photo: Getty Images

Inside A Brand-New United 737 MAX 8

Earlier this week, United Airlines hosted an event at Newark Liberty International (EWR) in which it unveiled its brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 to the public. Simple Flying had the chance to attend, and take a look inside this stunning new aircraft.

Emirates Slashes 150,000 Seats In July

Emirates is set to offer a less intense schedule than expected this month, after it cut 150,000 seats from its July schedules. The cuts will hit routes to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UK hard. It has added 28,000 seats elsewhere, giving a net loss of 122,000.

This week, airlines around the world have cut 10.4 million seats for July, with Emirates among them. Photo: Getty Images

American Airlines 737 Reportedly Denied Emergency Landing

Details have emerged regarding an incident in which an American Airlines Boeing 737-800 was reportedly denied an emergency landing. The flight from Dallas to El Salvador wasn't granted its request, which arose due to a fuel emergency, after a communication error. ATC informed the flight that the airport was closed. You can read more here.