AvTalk Episode 369: Extra exits, bread trucks, and bankruptcies

AvTalk Episode 369 delivers a whirlwind of aviation news, starting with AirAsia’s landmark order of 150 A220-300s—marking the first time the A220 order book surpassed 1,000 aircraft. The order includes a new cabin configuration with additional overwing exits, increasing capacity to 160 passengers without a fuselage stretch, a move that underscores Airbus’s strategy of maximizing existing airframes. Despite speculation, this is not the long-rumored A220-500. The episode then shifts to the abrupt collapse of Spirit Airlines, which ceased operations after rejecting a $500 million government bailout due to fears of being pushed down in creditor priority. The fallout is massive: 17,000 direct jobs lost and far more indirectly impacted, especially at secondary airports and ground service providers. JetBlue quickly stepped in to absorb Spirit’s Fort Lauderdale hub, launching new routes across the U.S. and Caribbean. Meanwhile, the NTSB released previously withheld flight data from China Eastern Flight 5735, revealing both engines were shut off simultaneously and no recovery attempt was made. In a bizarre incident, a Shanghai-bound A350-900 repeatedly crashed into a jet bridge due to brake failure, captured in harrowing dashcam footage. A United 767-400ER narrowly avoided disaster at Newark by clipping a light pole and truck on approach, highlighting the dangers of low-altitude approaches over highways. The episode closes with a quirky story about British Airways offering pilots $90K–$100K to taxi aircraft manually in Chicago, and a viral ACARS message about a flight diverting due to excessive poop on board—capping a week of chaos, innovation, and absurdity in aviation.