The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued ground delays at New York LaGuardia and Newark Liberty because of reduced visibility from wildfire smoke drifting to the USA from Canada. At midday 7 June, departures to LaGuardia were delayed by an average of 119min due to low visibility, the FAA's national airspace system status shows. Departures to Newark International were delayed by an average of 82min. The FAA is also slowing aircraft traffic bound for Philadelphia International from the US East Coast and Midwest due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke, the agency notes in a Twitter post.

Papua New Guinea's national carrier Air Niugini has finalised an order for two Boeing 787-8s that will replace its ageing 767-300ERs and support the growth of its long-haul network. Neither Air Niugini nor Boeing have disclosed if the aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 or General Electric GEnx engines. "Signing this contract with Boeing for the purchase of two modern, widebody 787 Dreamliners will enable Air Niugini to grow its network across Asia, Australia, and New Zealand and fulfill its mission as the premier airline in Papua New Guinea, providing the best air service in the region," says Gary Seddon, acting chief executive of Air Niugini. The finalised order ends a process that commenced back in 2008 when the airline first mooted placing an order for two 787-9s. It subsequently ordered a single 787-8 in 2010, only for that order to be cancelled in 2019, fleet data shows. The carrier operates two 767-300ERs are over 23 and 31 years old, and are leased from Icelandair. Air Niugini uses the widebodies to operate flights from Port Moresby to Brisbane, Hong Kong, Singapore and Palau. shows.

Air France plans to roll out its new standard of travel on the business, premium economy and economy cabins of its future Airbus A350s. Already available on select Boeing 777-300 ERs, these new standards will be available on A350s that will join the airline's long-haul fleet between now and 2025, the French flag carrier says. It adds that the A350s will have a cabin configuration with 48 business seats, 32 premium economy seats and 212 economy seats. All cabins will be equipped with 4K ultra-high-definition screens, Bluetooth connectivity, USB ports and Wi-Fi access. The carrier's new standard of travel also includes a new business-class seat designed specifically for Air France in collaboration with STELIA Aerospace, along with designer Mark Collins and design and branding consultancy SGK Brandimage. The seat features a sliding door that allows passengers to create a totally private space. It can also be transformed into a full-flat bed measuring nearly two metres in length. To create a greater sense of privacy for passengers travelling together, the seats located in the centre of the cabin are equipped with a central panel that can be lowered to create a convivial space. The airline has already received 20 of the 41 A350-900s it has ordered. The 21st A350 will be the first to feature this new cabin configuration and will make its first commercial flight in July, it notes.