Connecting Skies • Bridging Continents
The Federal Aviation Administration will issue a final rule on Friday 24 July 2026 requiring all aircraft radio altimeters operating in the United States to
Speaking at an industry conference in Gaborone, Botswana, ACC Aviation Associate Director Tristan Brouard has outlined the central paradox facing African aviation: a continent with
The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration has signed a 10-year Services Support Agreement with Bombardier on behalf of the Swedish Armed Forces, covering two newly delivered
Lockheed Martin and Venus Aerospace have signed a joint technology development agreement to evaluate and advance Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine technology for future long-range precision
Tecnam has used EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026 to make two significant announcements: the unveiling of the Rivale — its first entirely new personal aircraft programme,
The expectation of onboard high-speed internet connectivity is migrating from premium differentiator to standard passenger requirement in private aviation, driven by Starlink’s rapid market penetration
Boeing’s 2026 Services Market Outlook and Pilot and Technician Outlook project a $4.9 trillion commercial aviation support and services market through 2045, alongside demand for 674,000 new pilots, 728,000 maintenance technicians and 1,023,000 cabin crew, as digitisation, sustainability and geographic
IATA’s 2025 World Air Transport Statistics, drawn from data covering 1,315 airlines, document a year of broad aviation growth led by a 4.5% increase in international premium-class travel, continued Asian dominance of the world’s busiest airport pairs and a decisive
IATA has published its first edition of Operational Guidelines for In-Cabin Pet Transport, a comprehensive framework for airlines covering the full passenger and pet journey from initial booking to destination clearance, as survey data shows nearly a quarter of passengers
1999 – Launch: Space Shuttle Columbia STS-93 at 12:31 am EDT. Mission highlights: Chandra X-ray Observatory deployed.
1983 – Air Canada Flight 143, a Boeing 767, runs out of fuel above Manitoba because of a miscalculation; the crew successfully glides the aircraft to a safe landing at a former Air Force base (and current drag strip) at Gimli, Manitoba; the aircraft becomes known as the “Gimli Glider“.
1979 – The British government announces plans to privatise British Airways and publicly sell British Aerospace shares.
1973 – Japan Air Lines Flight 404, a Boeing 747, is hijacked after takeoff from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands; one hijacker is killed and the flight’s purser injured by a grenade blast; after several days and multiple flight legs, the passengers are released in Benghazi, Libya and the aircraft is blown up on the ground; this is the first loss of a Boeing 747-200.
1971 – First flight of the GAF Nomad
1956 – Bell X-2 rocket plane sets world aircraft speed record of 3,050 kph.
1956 – First flight of the Dassault Étendard II
1955 – First flight of the PZL TS-8 Bies
1952 – First flight of the Fouga CM.170 Magister
1947 – First (US Navy) air squadron of jets, Quonset Point, RI.
1944 – Focke-Wulf Fw 190C V33 prototype, Werke Nummer 0058, modified to Fw 190 V33/U1 as prototype for Ta 152H-0 with 1,750 hp (1,300 kW) Junkers Jumo 213E-1 engine and new wing fuel tanks of the definitive Ta 152H-1, comprising three tanks in each inner portion, located just aft of the truncated mainspar, first flown 12 July 1944, crashes out of Langenhagen, setting back the flight test program.
1937 – The International Military Aircraft Competition in Debendorf near Zuich provided the picturesque venue for the first major demonstration of the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
1913 – With his biplane fitted with electric lights on the wings and his landing area outlined with small blazes, H. W. Blakeley makes the first night flight in Canada at the Dominion Livestock Show and Fair at Brandon, Manitoba.
1906 – Having abandoned his helicopter project, Alberto Santos-Dumont unveils a new aircraft, the No.14 bis. at Bagatelle, France. The odd-looking machine is dubbed canard (duck).
1905 – The first flight of the Wright Flyer III took place in June 1905.[2] This is the first fully controllable and practical version of the original Flyer.
