Connecting Skies • Bridging Continents
The Federal Aviation Administration has published its first proposed rule to establish a noise-based certification standard for supersonic aircraft, the regulatory mechanism required to repeal the 1973 ban on civil supersonic flight over the continental United States, with a second rule on noise thresholds to follow later in 2026 and both rules targeted for finalisation […]
Fursan Al Emarat, the UAE National Aerobatics Team, will perform at the Farnborough International Airshow from 20–24 July 2026, bringing its seven-aircraft formation display to the UK as part of the show’s second wave of confirmed flying displays — and the team’s most significant international appearance to date. TEAM ARRIVES IN HAMPSHIRE ON 11 JULY
BAA Training France has achieved a global first by certifying and declaring ready for training an Airbus A320 Full Flight Simulator to the new Airbus Standard 2.2.1, providing airlines with a training environment that mirrors the latest A320neo aircraft configuration currently entering service. WORLD-FIRST CERTIFICATION ALIGNS TRAINING WITH CURRENT A320NEO OPERATIONS BAA Training France
FL Technics Indonesia has opened a new dedicated aircraft painting facility at its Bali MRO station and completed its first customer project within days of launch — a Boeing 737-400F repaint for Philippine cargo carrier Skyway Airlines — as the company expands its full-service maintenance capability in Southeast Asia. BALI PAINTING BOOTH OPERATIONAL; FIRST PROJECT
The 36th Amendment to South Africa’s Civil Aviation Regulations — which would enable the long-awaited Condition Monitoring Programme under Appendix 3 of the Part 43 CATS and replace the blanket 12-year engine overhaul rule — remains unpromulgated, held up by an unanticipated State Law Adviser review process and a formal objection lodged by AOPA-SA with
Airbus’s 2026–2045 Global Market Forecast projects annual passenger traffic growth of 3.9%, driving demand for 42,060 new aircraft over the period, with decentralising urban growth opening new city pairs and making the case for increasingly efficient single-aisle and widebody aircraft across a broadening network. URBANISATION AND MIDDLE CLASS GROWTH THE TWIN ENGINES OF DEMAND
easyJet has disclosed that its Board is minded to recommend the financial terms of a fifth takeover proposal from US investment firm Castlelake, valuing the airline at £5.5 billion on a fully diluted basis, after four earlier proposals were rejected — though no firm offer has yet been made and the outcome remains uncertain. FIFTH
EASYJET MOVES CLOSER TO CASTLELAKE TAKEOVER AFTER £5.5 BILLION PROPOSALRead More »
NATO’s Communications and Information Agency has selected a consortium formed by Thales and Leonardo to deliver a next-generation secure deployable communications and information system for the Alliance’s Special Operations Forces Command, including real-time full motion video sharing across deployable headquarters — a first in a NATO operational context. CONTRACT COVERS SIX DEPLOYABLE HEADQUARTERS FOR SOFCOM
LIFT has become one of the first airlines to implement GO7’s Orchestrated Virtual Interlining solution, a model that returns pricing, settlement and customer relationship control to the airline rather than a third-party marketplace, with the South African carrier calling on more African airlines to adopt the approach. AIRLINE-CONTROLLED VIRTUAL INTERLINING GOES LIVE WITHIN WEEKS
SITA’s Impact Report 2025 documents a year of measurable advances in airport biometrics, AI-driven operations and baggage management, as the aviation industry uses technology rather than physical expansion to prepare for a projected doubling of passenger numbers by 2050. SOFTWARE, NOT CONCRETE, IS AVIATION’S NEW CAPACITY ANSWER SITA has published its Impact Report 2025,
