50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

Aviation essential

Essential and most important aviation news

Latest essential aviation news

Airbus’ A350-1000 Trent XWB-97 engine begins flight-test campaign on A380 flying-test-bed

The A350-1000’s new engine – the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 – has successfully made its first flight-test aboard Airbus’ dedicated A380 “Flying-Test-Bed” aircraft. The aircraft took off from Airbus’ facilities in Toulouse and performed a flight of 4 hours, 14...

Lufthansa Cabin Crews Set to Start Airline's Longest Strike

Deutsche Lufthansa AG faces its longest-ever strike after flight attendants rejected the airline's latest offer in a long-running dispute over savings efforts aimed at weathering competition from low-cost rivals such as Ryanair. Cabin crew are set to halt work Friday afternoon, the UFO l...


Airbus sees Middle East as important market for its new ACJneo family

Airbus sees an important potential market for its new ACJneo Family in the Middle East, where private jets are well established as business tools for companies, billionaires and governments, helping them to be more productive and efficient. Airbus’ ACJneo Family initially comprises the ACJ319neo and ACJ320neo. The ACJ319neo will fly eight passengers 6,750nm/12,500 km – equivalent to...

Lufthansa Group airlines suspend all flights to Sinai until further notice

The airlines of the Lufthansa Group have suspended their commercial flight operations to and from the Sinai Peninsula until further notice. The precautionary action has been taken in view of the current Sinai situation. The Lufthansa Group will coordinate all its further actions in this regard in close consultation with the authorities. The action affects two planned weekly flights to and from Sha...

ANALYSIS: Gulf airports fight for share of rapidly rising demand

Airport investment is in overdrive at aviation’s busiest global crossroads, as the hubs of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways vie to keep pace with the growth of their flag-carriers, and with eachother to attract international air traffic. While Doha’s new Hamad International is about to embark on an expansion that will take throughput to almost 70 million pass...

Airbus eyes the wide game in China

Airbus expects strong demand for widebody aircraft in China, as Chinese carriers work on their fleet plans for the next five years. Speaking to Flightglobal in Beijing, Airbus China president Eric Chen says the boom in outbound traffic, coupled with the relatively small widebody fleet in the country, will drive airlines to look at larger jets. The continued bottlenecks at the country’s ai...

Latvia sells 20% stake in Air Baltic to German investor

Following lengthy deliberations, the Latvian government has agreed to sell a 20% stake in Air Baltic(BT,Riga) to German investor Ralf Dieter Montag-Girmes for EUR52 million (USD57.2 million). The official LETA news service says that alongside Montag-Girmes' investment, government will shore up the carrier's coffers with an EUR80 million (USD88 million) loan from the Latvian central bank...

Qatar Airways receives its latest Dreamliners

Qatar Airways took delivery of its 24th and 25th Boeing 787 Dreamliners yesterday in a ceremony at Boeing's production facility in Everett, United States. Above: Celebrating the official handover to Qatar Airways of its 24th and 25th B787 Dreamliner in Seattle are, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker (second from right) and Boeing Commercial Presi...

Bombardier Announces Presence at the 2015 Dubai Airshow

 Bombardier announced today it will touch down at the 29th Dubai Airshow  with an impressive line-up of commercial and business aircraft on static display. The line-up will include the all-new CS100 airliner, Q400 turboprop, CRJ900 aircraft; and three business aircraft – the Learjet 75, Challenger 350 and the Global 6000. Held at the Dubai World Central Airport, members of Bom...

Skylon,to go from Paris to Sydney in four hours

British government decided to invest 84 million euros (60 million pounds) in Skylon, an aircraft that could connect Paris to Sydney in less than four hours. Actually it is the development of an orbital launch vehicle, developed by British Reaction Engines Limited since the mid-90s. Its uniqueness is in its next-generation engine called SABRE for Air-Breathing Rocket Synergetic Engine....

Airbus Helicopters and Korea Aerospace Industries affirm partnership

Airbus Helicopters and Korea Aerospace Industries affirm partnership for export and support of Korean helicopter platforms. Korean-made Light Civil Helicopter and Light Armed Helicopter to be marketed worldwide in a joint effort by both partners. Scope of cooperation to include also after-sales services including MRO and training. Strategic collaboration will ensure the advancement of Air...

PW PurePower engine for Embraer E-Jets completes flight test program

The Pratt & Whitney PW1900G PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine for the Embraer E190-E2 and E195-E2 aircraft, successfully completed its first flight, initiating the engine's flight test program. The PW1900G engine model, which was assembled at Pratt & Whitney's Middletown Engine Center in Connecticut, flew on Pratt & Whitney's 747SP flying test bed at the co...

Boeing Forecasts Demand in the Middle East for 3,180 New Airplanes Over the Next 20 Years

Aviation market worth an estimated $730 billion Hub aggregation, diverse business strategies, infrastructure investment drive regional traffic growth Boeing forecasts airlines in the Middle East will require 3,180 new airplanes over the next 20 years, valued at an estimated $730 billion. 70 percent of the demand is expected to be driven by rapid fleet expansion in the reg...

ANALYSIS: Boeing damps down expectations for Dubai

Dubai’s last major air show in 2013 set a high bar for order expectations. In the span of less than three hours on the first day of the show, Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways signed orders and commitments for a total of 225 777X aircraft.Etihad Airways added another order for 30 787-10s. Not least, Flydubai committed to buy up 100 737 Max and 11 737NGs. If any...

Upcoming events

Bahrain International Airshow 2026

18/11/2026 - 20/11/2026
Bahrain, Sakhir

AERO Middle East x Sand & Fun 2026

24/11/2026 - 26/11/2026
Saudi Arabia, Riyadh

Top of the week

Greece orders up to six Embraer KC-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft

The Hellenic Ministry of National Defense has signed an agreement for the acquisition of three Embraer KC-390 Millennium multi-mission aircraft, with options for three additional units. The deal was c...

New IADA-ASA partnership enhances aircraft appraisal education across the industry

The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) and the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) have formed a new educational partnership aimed at expanding professional develop...

Rolls-Royce launches transformational jet engine technology programme to drive economic growth and advanced manufacturing

The UK Government and Rolls-Royce have unveiled plans for a joint £2.5 billion, 10-year research and technology programme aimed at advancing next-generation gas turbine technologies fo...

Emirates expands Premium Economy to Durban with deployment of A350

Emirates will introduce its Airbus A350 on the daily EK775/776 service between Dubai and Durban from 1 March 2027, extending its Premium Economy offering to all three of its South African destina...

Unifi Aviation brings professional aircraft cleaning and detailing services to Jersey

Unifi Aviation, part of Unifi LLC, has strengthened its presence in Europe with the launch of Unifi Aviation Jersey, bringing premium aircraft detailing and cleaning services to business aviation...

De Havilland Canada expands Canadair 515 production following strategic agreement

De Havilland Canada has announced a landmark agreement with the Government of Canada and Export Development Canada (EDC) that will enable the manufacturer to significantly expand p...

Boeing predicts air cargo boom will push global freighter fleet beyond 4,000 aircraft by 2045

Boeing forecasts that global air cargo traffic will double over the next two decades, driving the worldwide freighter fleet beyond 4,000 aircraft by 2045, according to its 2026 World Air Car...

Boeing and Lufthansa Technik extend strategic tailored parts agreement

Boeing and Lufthansa Technik have extended their long-standing Tailored Parts Package agreement, reinforcing a partnership aimed at enhancing parts availability, simplifying supply...

Joby brings future air mobility to Florida with eVTOL air taxi demonstration

Joby Aviation has launched a week-long series of piloted electric air taxi demonstration flights across Florida, with its eVTOL aircraft operating in Tampa, Orlando, and along the Space Coast. Th...

Airbus Corporate Jets research reveals growing government demand for business aviation

  According to Airbus Corporate Jets’ latest industry insight, based on feedback from 280 business aviation financiers and brokers globally, governments and public sector organisations a...

MEBAA Show 2026 highlights growing demand for inflight connectivity as business aviation priorities evolve

As demand for seamless onboard connectivity continues to grow, aircraft owners and operators are placing increasing emphasis on selecting connectivity solutions that align with their operational needs...

Qantas Group strengthens regional network with strategic turboprop fleet investment

  Qantas has announced a major investment in its De Havilland Dash 8 turboprop fleet, reinforcing its long-term commitment to maintaining reliable air links across regional Australia. As part...

Daher highlights growing role of Kodiak and TBM Aircraft in wildfire response operations

From the forests of Canada and the Pacific Northwest to the fire-prone landscapes of Florida, Daher Aircraft’s Kodiak and TBM platforms are playing an increasingly critical role in wildfire resp...

Jet Excellence upgrades Citation X fleet with Gogo Galileo HDX connectivity

Jet Excellence, a leading U.S. charter operator, will retrofit its entire fleet of Cessna Citation X aircraft with the advanced Gogo Galileo HDX connectivity solution. To support the fleet-w...

Embraer and Austrian Airlines strengthen E-Jets fleet support with new component pool agreement

Embraer and Austrian Airlines have signed a Component Pool Program agreement to support the carrier’s fleet of 13 E195 aircraft. Under the agreement, Austrian Airlines will gain access to Embrae...

Archer and ITA Airways drive forward vision for sustainable air taxi travel in Italy

Archer Aviation Inc. and ITA Airways, Italy’s national carrier and a member of the Lufthansa Group, have entered into a strategic partnership to advance the deployment of an all-e...

Boston MedFlight expands critical care air transport fleet with order for three Airbus H145 helicopters

Boston MedFlight, the internationally recognized nonprofit provider of critical care transport services, has signed an agreement with Airbus Helicopters for three new H145 helicopt...

Airbus and Air France-KLM finalize joint venture for A350 component support

Airbus has launched Alpha Component Solutions, a 50:50 joint venture with Air France dedicated to delivering comprehensive A350 component support services. Jointly operated by Airbus and Air Fran...

Embraer appoints FL Technics as authorized E-Jet service center in Lithuania

Embraer has appointed FL Technics as an Embraer Authorized Service Center (EASC) for its commercial aircraft fleet in Lithuania. The designation covers the E170 and E190 aircraft, further strengt...

ALSIM and ADMAL Flying Academy reinforce pilot training excellence in Malaysia with AL250 simulator

ALSIM is supporting the advancement of pilot training in Malaysia through ADMAL Flying Academy’s acquisition of an AL250 simulator. The addition of the device will enhance the academy’s Co...

FL Technics Indonesia secures EASA approval for Bali hangar, expanding European fleet maintenance capabilities

FL Technics Indonesia has successfully obtained EASA Part-145 certification for its Bali maintenance facility, authorising the company to perform maintenance on aircraft registered within the European...

Western Aircraft marks dual Pilatus milestones with 300th PC-12 delivery and 30 years of authorized sales & service excellence

Western Aircraft, an Authorized Pilatus Center and Greenwich AeroGroup company, is celebrating a trio of significant achievements in 2026 that underscore its enduring partnership with Pilatus. The mil...

The best (and cheapest) ways to buy Avios points

What’s the point of buying Avios? You might think that Avios points are the frequent flyer currency of British Airways, and you’re not wrong. The airline launched the currency back in t...

HALO-Flight expands Texas Air Med fleet with additional Bell 407GXi helicopter order

HALO-Flight is set to further expand its South Texas air medical capabilities following the order of an additional Bell 407GXi announced by Bell Textron at AMTC 2026. The new aircraft will bring the o...

Etihad’s iconic A380 touches down in Thailand for the first time

Etihad Airways has marked a significant milestone with the arrival of its iconic Airbus A380 in Thailand for the first time. The airline’s flagship aircraft touched down in Bangkok this morning,...