CDB Aviation, a wholly owned Irish subsidiary of China Development Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. (“CDB Leasing”), announced the execution of new lease agreements for six Airbus A321neo aircraft with its Chinese airline customer, Zhejiang Loong Airlines Co., Ltd. (“Loong Air”).

The Hangzhou-headquartered carrier is expected to take delivery of the aircraft in 2027 from the lessor’s order book. Renowned for its fuel efficiency, reduced carbon emissions, and extended range capabilities, the A321neo, the largest member of Airbus’ A320neo family, is well suited to enhance Loong Air’s operational efficiency and sustainability goals.

“We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with Loong Air through this transaction, which underscores our commitment to supporting the growth of China’s aviation sector,” said Jie Chen, Chief Executive Officer of CDB Aviation. “The A321neo’s superior economics and passenger comfort align perfectly with Loong Air’s vision of expanding its domestic, international and regional network.”

Established in 2011, Loong Air operates a fleet of over 70 Airbus A320-family aircraft, serving major Chinese cities and select international routes. The addition of the A321neos will enable the airline to boost capacity on high-demand routes while maintaining its focus on cost efficiency and environmental responsibility.

“This agreement marks another milestone in Loong Air and CDB Aviation’s strategic partnership of more than 10 years,” commented Qihong Liu, Chairman of Loong Air. “We also hope to continue to explore new opportunities for cooperation with CDB Aviation and jointly promote innovative development in the future. The A321neo’s enhanced performance and cabin flexibility will allow us to offer an elevated travel experience to our passengers, while supporting our long-term sustainability objectives.”

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“At approximately 8 p.m. Pacific on Sunday (0300 GMT on Monday), Alaska Airlines experienced an IT outage that’s impacting our operations. We requested a temporary, system-wide ground stop for Alaska and Horizon Air flights,” Alaska said in an emailed statement to Reuters on Sunday evening.

The Seattle-based airline said there would be residual impacts to its operations throughout the evening, without providing more specific details.

The FAA did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment outside regular business hours.

The FAA status page showed all destinations being impacted by the ground stop of Alaska’s mainline aircraft, and Horizon’s ground stop.

Alaska Air Group maintains an operational fleet of 238 Boeing 737 aircraft, and 87 Embraer 175 aircraft, according to its website.

In June, Alaska Air Group-owned Hawaiian Airlines said some of its IT systems were disrupted by a hack. Alaska Air Group said it was still determining the financial impact of the hack.

Last Updated:July 21, 2025, 09:24 IST

The pilot of the Delta Airlines jet blamed unclear air traffic control instructions for the close call and apologised to passengers for the sudden movement of the plane.

A Delta Air Lines regional jet narrowly avoided a tragic mishap recently as it was forced to make an “aggressive manoeuvre” to avoid a mid-air collision with a B-52 bomber in North Dakota last week, according to various media reports.

The incident took place on July 18 and is being investigated by SkyWest, which operated the flight. In a viral TikTok video that was uploaded on Saturday, the Delta pilot told passengers that he was forced to make a sudden detour to avoid colliding with a military plane flying nearby.

The plane had departed from Minneapolis and was on approach to Minot, North Dakota, home to an Air Force base with B-52 bombers, according to a report by ABC News. The pilot said unclear air traffic control instructions led to the close call.

“For those of you on the right-hand side, you probably saw the airplane kind of coming at us. Nobody told us about it, and so we continued. There’s no radar here, so the tower does everything visually,” the pilot told passengers in the video. He said he was directed to “report about six miles from the airport” and was instructed to make a specific turn, according to the PEOPLE magazine.

However, when he saw the approaching military aircraft, he told air traffic control, “There’s an airplane over there” and was told to turn in the opposite direction. “By the time we went back to clearance with nowhere, I saw the airplane that was kind of coming on a converging course with us.”

The pilot apologised for the sudden movement of the aircraft, saying, “So sorry about the aggressive manoeuvre.”

“It caught me by surprise. This is not normal at all,” he continued. “I don’t know why they didn’t give us a heads-up, because the airport base does have radar.” Meanwhile, passengers on the plane also witnessed the approaching B-52 bomber on one side of the aircraft.

Despite the close call, passengers were reportedly calm. “I felt like I was gaslighting myself, like maybe I was being crazy, because no one else was reacting,” said Monica Green, one of the passengers.

“The way he (pilot) said it, it almost sounded like he was insinuating that landing safely might not be an option for a moment. We all just kind of looked at each other and stayed quiet.”

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