International Airlines Group (IAG) finally got a grip on its most important takeover target, acquiring BMI in April. Now the task of integration begins. IAG unit British Airways has been pursuing BMI literally for years, since gaining control of its smaller competitor appeared to be the only way to access more slots at its London Heathrow Airport home base.

The financial cost to Airbus of fixing cracks in A380 wing components may be coming into focus, but it is harder to define the reputational cost the aircraft maker faces among customers that have suffered service disruptions with their flagship aircraft.

The key to a positive future for the largest U.S. regional carriers, albeit an uncomfortable one for many of them, may have surfaced near the end of the SkyWest conference call on its first-quarter 2012 earnings: first survive, and then potentially thrive.

Benefits include more efficient airspace designs in metro areas.

What would happen if Ryanair's Michael O'Leary was put in charge of British Airways or if Southwest Airlines' Herb Kelleher was running United Airlines? It seems like a crazy idea, but a similar situation occurred (for a time) in Malaysia—between AirAsia's Tony Fernandes and Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

Three Apollo commanders put their weight behind legislation that would force NASA to move quickly to choose a single commercial crew vehicle to elicit public support. Neil Armstrong, Eugene Cernan and James Lovell, commanders of Apollo 11, 17 and 13, respectively, told Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that funds the space agency, that they endorse his panel's approach to commercial crew vehicle development that passed the House last week.

Synthetic-vision displays are moving down-range to light jets and turboprops.

Fly-by-wire controls are commonplace in fixed-wing aircraft, but a rarity in rotorcraft. Cost is usually cited as the reason for not using FBW, despite its performance advantages, but now Kazan Helicopters is removing fly-by-wire from its light twin-turbine Ansat because of safety concerns.