Welcome to the second 'Sunday Reads' weekly digest of 2022, and our 42nd overall! The new year has got off to a busy start for the airline industry, as our top stories show.

Allegiant Orders Up To 100 737 MAX Planes

US ultra-low-cost carrier Allegiant made an interesting diversion from its usual all-Airbus fleet strategy this week. Specifically, it announced an order for 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, becoming the first US-based ULCC to buy the jet. You can find out more here.

Snow Causes Significant Delays And Cancelations For US Travelers

Air travel in the US was plagued by difficulties over the festive period, with weather-based delays even spilling into 2022. Heavy snow, particularly in the east of the country, prompted thousands of cancelations, with the issues compounded by staff shortages.

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US carriers have already begun canceling services for tomorrow. Photo: Getty Images

Ryanair Boeing 737 Diverts To Brest After Reports Of Fire Onboard

A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 flying from Manchester, UK to Faro, Portugal had to interrupt its cruise at 41,000 feet when reports of an onboard fire emerged. Following a rapid descent, the jet diverted to Brest, France. A replacement aircraft later flew over from the airline's London Stansted base to ferry the passengers onto their Portuguese destination.

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O'Leary maintains that the Ryanair cabin crew on strike are currently earning between £24,000 and £45,000 ($25,346.88 to $47,525.40). Photo: Tom Boon | Simple Flying

Visa Canceled: Will Emirates Wear The Cost Of The Djokovic Fiasco?

Tennis star Novak Djokovic has been at the center of controversy regarding his presence at the Australian Open this week. Having previously been given an exemption to enter the country, he found on arrival that his visa had been canceled. With deportation a prospect, this raised the question as to who will fund his return flight. Simple Flying took a look.

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Djokovic flew into Melbourne on an Emirates flight on Wednesday night. Photo: Emirates

Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 Diverts Following Terror Threat

Ryanair isn't the only carrier to have experienced a safety-related diversion this week. Indeed, a Vietnam Airlines 787 was also forced to quickly get on the ground in Fukuoka after a terror threat against the jet was phoned in. Thankfully, nothing came of the incident.

Vietnam Airlines, Boeing 787, Terror Threat
A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 diverted this week after a terror threat was phoned in. Photo: Boeing

Olympic Airways 417: A Key Moment For The In-Flight Smoking Ban

Smoking bans onboard airliners are now an almost universal aspect of commercial air travel. However, being able to light a cigarette in the skies used to be more common. This week marked the anniversary of a tragic occurrence onboard an Olympic Airways flight that was a key point in changing attitudes towards the matter. You can find out more about it here.

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The incident occurred on one of Olympic's Boeing 747s. Photo: Eduard Marmet via Wikimedia Commons

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What was your favorite story this week? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments!