Connecting Skies • Bridging Continents
Aviation analyst John Strickland has warned that European and US carriers are likely to strip frequencies from winter schedules and ground more aircraft than usual rather than discount fares to fill them — a judgement underpinned by IATA figures showing the industry fuel bill rising by almost $100 billion in a single year, driven not […]
NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev have landed safely in Kazakhstan aboard Soyuz MS-28, concluding a 241-day mission that covered 3,856 orbits and more than 102 million miles — and produced research spanning cancer drug delivery, in-space semiconductor manufacturing and two spacewalks including the Canadarm2 robotic arm repair. PARACHUTE-ASSISTED
Sling Aircraft North America has announced the Sling 2M, a MOSAIC-compliant version of the South African-manufactured Sling NGT trainer with a 1,540 lb gross weight, IFR capability and the Garmin AXIS Flight System as standard — with factory production ready to ship immediately, on the day the MOSAIC rule takes effect. BUILT ALONGSIDE THE STANDARDS
Joby Aviation and Virgin Atlantic have formalised their air taxi partnership at Farnborough International Airshow with a binding multi-year commercial agreement, establishing Virgin Atlantic as Joby’s exclusive UK airline partner and targeting routes including Heathrow to Central London in as little as eight minutes and Manchester Airport to Leeds in approximately fifteen. INITIAL 2025 ANNOUNCEMENT
Researchers at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering have developed a drone called Phantom Twist that exploits the limits of human visual processing to become approximately ten times harder to detect than a conventional quadcopter — not through camouflage or transparent materials, but by spinning the entire airframe fast enough to trigger motion blur. DESIGNING
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 meet next-generation performance standards capable of withstanding interference from 5G wireless signals, coordinated with the FCC’s Report and Order on new 5G spectrum band auctions adopted the previous day. YEARS
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 world’s fastest-growing projected air traffic demand, yet airlines that struggle to access competitive financing because of elevated risk perceptions and thin operating margins. THE FASTEST-GROWING AVIATION REGION FACES ITS
A major Airbus investor update at Farnborough has set a 2029 EBIT target of EUR 12-13 billion and approved a EUR 5 billion share buyback, while the manufacturer simultaneously launched a three-year Wing of Tomorrow flight test campaign on an A321neo, signed a Canadian Flexrotor order with Voyageur Aviation, and doubled Philippine Airlines’ A350-1000 commitment
Embraer has used Farnborough International Airshow 2026 to announce six simultaneous developments: a Barracuda cruise missile integration MoU with Anduril for the C-390, a Heads of Agreement with Saab for 20 additional Gripen, a strategic framework agreement with Mubadala, a composite aerostructures MoA with Strata, 28 firm E2 orders across three airlines, and two additional
Pipistrel, a Textron Inc. company, has made the world debut of the Voyager training aircraft at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2026, introducing an IFR-capable, spin-certified training platform equipped with the new Garmin AXIS flight display avionics, designed to align with anticipated MOSAIC regulations and priced at €240,000 for entry into service in 2027. WORLD DEBUT AT
