On this episode of AvTalk, Chinese airlines place a massive Airbus order, a holey Emirates A380, and the smoldering summer of suck rolls on as airlines continue to scramble to trim flights and resize their schedules. Chinese airlines order 300 Airbus aircraft Chinese airlines combined for an order of nearly 300 Airbus A320neo family aircraft. We discuss who ordered what and when the airlines will start taking delivery. The holey Emirates A380 An Emirates A380 en route from Dubai to Brisbane suffered a blow tire in the main landing gear. That blown tire punctured a panel on the wing root fairing. The initial reporting of the event by non-specialist media unfortunately created the impression that the incident left a hole in the fuselage. Ian rants a bit. SAS files for bankruptcy SAS pilots are on strike. The airline is canceling 50% of its flights each day. They’ve filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States. How SAS got to this point and what might happen next. T...