Gregory Polek
Senior Editor
Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with New Jersey Monthly magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for Aviation International News in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.
Latest from Gregory Polek
Accidents
Tibet Airlines A319 Bursts into Flames after Runway Excursion
No deaths reported among the 122 passengers and crew aboard a Tibet Airlines A319 that crashed and caught fire in southwestern China Thursday.
FutureFlight
Hawaiian Airlines Agrees to Invest in Regent’s Monarch Seaglider
Along with its equity investment, Hawaiian Airline agrees to support the initial design of the 100-passenger Monarch.
Aircraft
ATR 42-600S Flies for First Time in Partial Configuration
Following its May 11 first flight, the new 30- to 50-seat STOL aircraft will now enter a phase of ground and flight testing.
FutureFlight
Embraer-backed Eve Boosts eVTOL Plans With $377 million Initial Public Offering
Eve’s $377 million in initial public offering proceeds fell short of the $500 million originally targeted.
Aircraft
Lufthansa Orders Seven Boeing 777-8 Freighters
Boeing welcomes Lufthansa as the European launch customer for the 777-8F.
Aircraft
Embraer Gets Launch Customer for E-Jet P2F Conversions
Nordic Aviation Capital has signed an agreement in principle to order freighter conversions for 10 of its existing E190s and E195s.
Aircraft
Airbus Chooses Thales To Supply FMSs for Future Airliners
Based on the PureFlyt product, the new Thales FMS system will appear in all A320s, A330s, and A350s starting in 2026.
FutureFlight
Hydrogen Infrastructure Challenges Rival Aircraft Tech Hurdles
Experts believe “clean” production and distribution rank as the biggest challenges to the adoption of hydrogen power by the aviation industry.
FutureFlight
Joby Welcomes Korea’s TMAP to Ridesharing Service Partnership with SK Telecom
TMAP brings extensive transportation and mapping data to Joby-SK Telecom partnership.
FutureFlight
Hydroplane Secures Second USAF Contract to Fund Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powerplant
A new contract with the U.S. Air Force marks the closing of Hydroplane’s seed round of fundraising.
Aircraft
Hydrogen Infrastructure Challenges Rival Aircraft Tech Hurdles
Experts believe “clean” production and distribution rank as the biggest challenges to the adoption of hydrogen power by the aviation industry.
Airlines
Spirit Rejects JetBlue Acquisition Overtures
Spirit Airlines chooses Frontier Airlines merger proposal over that of JetBlue, citing concerns over antitrust risk.
Aircraft
Qantas Confirms Orders for Projects Sunrise, Winton
Schedules call for the first Qantas A350-1000 will arrive in 2025 and the first A320XLR/A220-300 in late 2023.
FutureFlight
Eve Sales Commitments Mount as the Embraer Unit Readies for Wall Street Listing
Eve Urban Air Mobility said the number of provisional sales commitments received for its planned four-passenger eVTOL aircraft has reached 1,825.
FutureFlight
EasyJet partners with GKN Aerospace To Speed Adoption of Hydrogen in Aviation
European low-fare carrier has agreed to support GKN’s H2JET and H2GEAR hydrogen power programs.
Airlines
EasyJet partners with GKN Aerospace on Hydrogen Power
European low-fare carrier EasyJet has agreed to support GKN’s H2JET and H2GEAR hydrogen power programs.
FutureFlight
Airbus and ITA Airways To Develop eVTOL Air Taxi Network in Italy
The agreement calls for adding local partners to participate in the launch of the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL aircraft operations.
Aircraft
Airbus, ITA Airways To Partner on eVTOL Work in Italy
An agreement between Airbus and ITA calls for recruiting partners to participate in the launch of the CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL operations in Italy.
Aircraft
Boeing Puts Positive Spin on 777X Delay
Delay of first delivery of the 777-9 until 2025 reflects a position of “strength, not weakness,” according to Boeing CEO David Calhoun.
FutureFlight On The Radar
Lufthansa Aviation Hub Report Claims the SPAC eVTOL Bubble Has Burst
New report suggest that special purpose acquisition companies are losing their luster among investors.
FutureFlight
GE Recruits BAE Systems to Provide Energy Management for NASA’s Hybrid Electric Aircraft Technology
NASA’s Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project aims to advance hybrid electric technologies for commercial aviation.
FutureFlight
Beta Secures $375 Million To Support Development of Alia 250 eVTOL Aircraft and Charging Network
Venture capital groups TPG Rise Climate and Fidelity Management & Research Company lead the latest investment in Beta Technologies.
FutureFlight
H2Fly’s HY4 Demonstrator Sets Altitude Record for Hydrogen-Electric Aircraft
The HY4 flew from Stuttgart to Friedrichshafen to participate in the Aero Friedrichshafen airshow, scheduled to take place from April 27 to April 30.
Aircraft
Cape Air, Eviation Sign LOI Covering 75 Alice Electric Aircraft
Massachusetts-based Cape Air sees a business case for electric aircraft service to “a panoply” of communities.
FutureFlight
Odys Aviation Makes Long Beach the Hub For Its eVTOL Ambitions
The California city nicknamed "Space Beach" will host Odys Aviation’s 15,000-square-foot facility at Long Beach Airport.
FutureFlight
Cape Air, Eviation Sign Letter of Intent Covering 75 Alice Electric Aircraft
Massachusetts-based Cape Air sees a business case for Alice service to “a panoply” of communities.
Accidents
China Eastern Returns Boeing 737-800s to Service
Almost a month after the crash of China Eastern Flight MU5735, Chinese authorities cleared the airline’s fleet for return to scheduled service.
FutureFlight
New Electric Aircraft Operators Face Part 135 Certification Challenges
While some companies opt to "buy" their operating certificates through acquisitions of other operators, others, such as eVTOL developer Joby, have taken on the task directly.
Airlines
U.S. Airlines Continue Struggle to Cope with Increased Demand
First-quarter traffic statistics for U.S. carriers show a 31.6 percent increase in cancellations compared with the first quarter of 2019.
FutureFlight
Airbus and Kawasaki Join Forces to Support Hydrogen-Powered Airline Operations
A memorandum of understanding signed in Tokyo between Airbus and Kawasaki lays the groundwork to study elements of hydrogen uptake by the aviation industry.
