50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

Aviation essential

Essential and most important aviation news

Latest essential aviation news

Qantas cabin crew models sure to turn heads

Over the years, Barbie and Ken have worked as teachers, lifeguards and even a pilot. And now, based on the latest pop-up display in the Qantas Club at Sydney Airport, the pair can add cabin crew uniform model to an already lengthy CV. To help celebrate the airline’s 95th anniversary Qantas...

Australian Women Pilots’ Association to honour founder Nancy-Bird Walton

The NSW branch of the Australian Women’s Pilots’ Association (AWPA) is celebrating the career of Nancy-Bird Walton on what would have been the pioneer aviatrix’ 100th birthday. The dinner is being held at Dolton House in Sydney on Friday October 16, a hundred years to the day fr...


Air France Hires French PM's Aide as HR Head in Turbulent Times

Air France said on Wednesday that French Prime Minister Manuel Valls' industrial relations adviser was taking over as head of human resources at the airline as conflict over planned cost and job cuts rages between management and pilots. Current HR head Xavier Broseta, who had his shirt ripped off as angry employees hounded him out of a meeting about job losses last week, will take up a...

Russian Officials Banned from Flying with Foreign Airlines on Business Trips

Russian officials and State Duma deputies can no longer fly with international airlines on business trips, under an amendment to a presidential decree published Wednesday. From now on, official trips can only use Russian carriers or the airlines of other members of the Eurasian Economic Union, which comprises Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. Officials can only dodge the patr...

Airbus completes painting of Singapore Airlines’ first A350 XWB

The first A350-900 for Singapore Airlines has been revealed in the airline’s livery following completion of painting in Toulouse. The aircraft is now set to move to the next stages of production, including the installation of engines and cabin furnishing, before starting ground and flight tests. The aircraft is scheduled for delivery to Singapore Airlines in the first quarter of 2016. Sin...

Viability of Aviation Biofuels Remains Distant, Say Experts

Biofuels for aviation continue to face multiple challenges, the most daunting of which centers on ways to make production economical, according to a recent report jointly released by the French Académie des Technologies and Académie de l'Air et de l'Espace. The experts admit the environmental benefit, although proven in principle, is difficult to quantify. They consider hydro...

UAE carriers will continue to fly over Iranian airspace

The UAE’s two leading airlines have decided not to follow Cathay Pacific’s lead and will continue to fly over Iranian airspace, despite concerns over Russian air strikes on Syrian targets. Russia has been firing long-range missiles at Syrian targets from warships in the Caspian Sea. The European Aviation Safety Agency issued a warning that the missiles “crossed airspace in Ira...

Bombardier: CSeries Certification Program on Track

Bombardier has announced in a mailed statement today that the CSeries program stills on track to certify its CSeries CS100 airliner by the end of the year, The manufacturer is committed to the program despite the budget overrun and delays and the lack of firm orders in over a year. “It’s a thrill to announce that we’re in the final stage of certification. Following a comp...

Rolls-Royce congratulates Airbus and Singapore Airlines on new Ultra-Long Range A350-900

Rolls-Royce has welcomed Singapore Airlines’ decision to order Airbus’ newly-launched Ultra-Long Range version of the A350-900. The airline has amended its existing order for 63 A350-900s to include seven A350-900ULRs with capability for flights of up to 19 hours. Singapore Airlines has also ordered an additional four A350-900s, taking its firm order total for the A30 XWB&nb...

Boeing, Lockheed unveil competing UAV-killing concepts

With reports that Islamic State (IS) militants have begun operating commercially-produced unmanned air vehicles to support their activities in the Middle East, Boeing and Lockheed Martin are pursuing two very different approaches to knocking unmanned aircraft out of the sky. Boeing has produced a 2kW laser weapon system to literally burn UAVs out of the sky, while Lockheed is taking a non-kinet...

Airbus likely to increase production in Mobile, mayor says

Airbus Group SA  is likely to increase aircraft output at its Mobile, Alabama, factory beyond its current four-a-month target, the mayor of the Southern U.S. city said on Tuesday. Airbus has said it could produce up to eight single-aisle jetliners a month at the plant, which opened last month, an increase that would help Airbus work through its large backlog of orders, Mayor Sandy Stimpson...

Airbus launches new Ultra-Long Range version of the A350-900

Singapore Airlines (SIA) has selected Airbus’ newly launched Ultra-Long Range version of the A350-900 for non-stop flights to the US. Under an amendment to the carrier’s existing order for 63 A350-900s, seven of the aircraft will now be delivered with an Ultra-Long Range capability for flights of up to 19 hours. In addition, the carrier has placed an additional order for four A350-900s...

Pilot Report: Citation M2

Since entering service in 2013, the $4.5 million Citation M2 has garnered a significant share of the light jet market and even of Textron Aviation’s own smaller jet series. The M2 is the newest member of the CitationJet (525) series, and 12 were delivered in 2013, even though certification was not awarded until late that year; during its first full year of production last...

Pegasus hits 100 route milestone

Pegasus Airlines has reached a milestone of 100 destinations as it launches its latest two new bellyhold routes to Turkey’s Kars and Ordu-Giresun. Flights between Istanbul’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport and Kars Airport are launching on 9 November, while the Ordu-Giresun route launches on 13 November, with daily return flights scheduled for both destinations. Flights to Kars f...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

TransMedics equips nationwide organ transport fleet with Gogo Galileo HDX

Gogo announced that TransMedics, a global leader in organ transplantation technology, services, and logistics, has selected Gogo Galileo to provide inflight connectivity across its...