50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

Aviation essential

Essential and most important aviation news

Latest essential aviation news

Gatwick Terminal Evacuated After Security Alert

Police have evacuated Gatwick Airport's North Terminal after a suspect package sparked a security alert. A man has been arrested after he was allegedly seen discarding a suspicious item in the building. Bomb squad experts were sent to the airport in West Sussex to investigate. Crowds ar...

Deadly attack on France: borders are closed, but airports remain open

Following a bloody massacre on streets of Paris on 13 November, killing at least 150 people, the French President Francois Hollande announced a state of emergency and ordered to close all borders. At the same time, Paris Charles de Gaulle airport remains open, international airlines didn’...


American Airlines delays Paris flights; United operates as planned

American Airlines Group, the world's biggest carrier by passenger traffic, said on Friday it was delaying flights to Paris in response to the explosions and shooting attacks there, even though French airports remained open. "Currently Charles de Gaulle International Airport is open, however, we are holding our remaining departures this evening to Paris until we have additional informat...

Alireza Ittihadieh: “We need to wake up to the new dawn”

“Markets fuelled by delusion are always dysfunctional. It may not have felt like it but the peak of this cycle was in 2014. We are now heading into the downmarket. No one wants to admit this and it is a serious problem. Brokers, dealers and OEMs have a responsibility to tell the truth.” Alireza Ittihadieh, founder of Freestream Aircraft has never worried about standing out from the...

FLIGHT TEST: Legacy 450 wired for success

Embraer introduced its new mid-light and mid-size jets to the world at the 2007 NBAA convention and in 2008 christened them, respectively, the Legacy 450 and 500. The Legacy 450 is the 500’s little brother; sharing the same wing, engine hardware, empennage and cockpit. Their only major differences are the 450’s reduced cabin size and fuel capacity. The 450 is 1.06m (3ft 6in) shorter th...

Airbus confident for A320neo on-time first delivery

Airbus is on schedule to deliver the first A320neo by end of 2015 as planned, an Airbus executive confirmed Friday. Qatar Airways is due to receive its first A320neo, a more efficient re-engined version, in December. Akbar Al Baker said last week on the sidelines of the Dubai Air Show that he was "optimistic" the aircraft would arrive before the end of the year, but he had a conc...

Another SSJ 100 for Red Wings

As Dmitry Petrochenko reported, Thursday, November 12,  Red Wings took its fifth SSJ 100 (tail number 89010), after the flight from Ramenskoye Airport to airline's base Domodedovo Airport. The aircraft was manufactured in 2012 and previously operated by "Aeroflot". As Red Wings representative told 50skyshades, all necessary technical work were ...

Deals Worth Around $40 Billion Signed at Dubai Airshow 2015

The Dubai Airshow 2015 resulted in the signing of agreements worth a total of $39.8 billion, as compared to $200 billion at the 2013 exhibition, the organizers of the show said Thursday. The agreement signed between the UAE Emirates airline and the US General Electric company for maintenance of 100 Boeing-777 engines became the largest contract announced at the airshow. T...

Timer Bomb Possible Cause of Russian A321 Plane Crash in Egypt - Reports

The Russian Airbus A321 plane crash could have occurred because a timed bomb was planted near the aircraft’s fuel line, media reports suggest. Investigators have uncovered intelligence about a "two-hour timer," although it is not clear whether physical evidence to the effect has been found or the information comes from intercepted terrorist communications, Fox New...

Lufthansa Promises Return to Normal Flights on Saturday

Germany's Lufthansa has promised a return to normal flight schedules on Saturday though a week-long strike by cabin crew is expected to ground another 941 flights on Friday. The airline withdrew a request for an injunction against the walkouts at the last minute on Thursday after a German court indicated earlier it was unlikely to reverse a lower court ruling that flight attendants could co...

Dassault Design Philosophy Evident in 5X, 8X

Dassault has never been one to follow the pack when it comes to business jets: it has been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to the use of three-engine designs, 3-D design software, metal bonding blended with composites to lighten weight, advanced wing geometry, fly-by-wire flight controls, sidesticks, the EASy II intuitive all-glass cockpit and more; the list is a long&n...

Hundreds More Lufthansa Flights Grounded

Hundreds more flights were grounded on Thursday as the strike by Lufthansa's main cabin crew union entered its sixth day with no sign of compromise. Cabin crew staff started a series of strikes at Lufthansa last Friday to fight for an improved pension offer for employees. Lufthansa, which says it needs to cut costs in order to compete with budget rivals and leaner Gulf carriers, has said...

ANALYSIS: British spaceplane engine concept gets cash boost

British newspaper readers last week could be excused for believing that humankind is poised on the cusp of a new Concorde era – indeed, an era of Concorde on steroids. As the Daily Mail put it with typically breathless excitement: “Could we soon fly London to Sydney in FOUR HOURS? BAE invests in 4,000mph hybrid rocket jet engine firm”. And, the Mail went on: “Flights fro...

ANALYSIS: Business aviation is bouncing back

It’s show time again for the business aviation industry. The annual NBAA convention, the largest and longest-running event within this niche sector, is returning to the bright lights of Las Vegas – a fitting host for a market that is starting to emerge into the light following a miserable few years. “There is certainly a climate of optimism in the industry right now,” sa...

Upcoming events

NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition 2026

20/10/2026 - 22/10/2026
United States, Las Vegas

Bahrain International Airshow 2026

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

Top of the week

Jungheinrich & Deutsche Aircraft set a new standard in aerospace logistics with automated warehouse for next-generation regional aircraft production

In a landmark step towards next-generation regional aircraft manufacturing, Jungheinrich has delivered an advanced automated logistics centre to Deutsche Aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Supporting...

flyadeal arrives in Mumbai, strengthening air connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia

flyadeal, the fast-growing low-cost carrier of Saudia Group and one of the GCC's largest budget airlines, has expanded its presence in India with the launch of non-stop flights between Riyadh and...

Tecnam unveils the FAR Part 23-certified P2008JC NG in the United States, redefining efficiency in next-generation pilot training

Tecnam introduces the P2008JC NG to the United States market, bringing flight schools a certified, next-generation training aircraft designed to dramatically reduce operating costs while maximizing fl...

Cessna Skyhawk Veris VR flight training device set for NBAA-BACE debut in Las Vegas

TRU Simulation + Training Inc. will showcase its Veris Virtual Reality Flight Training Device (FTD) for the Cessna Skyhawk at NBAA-BACE 2026, marking the simulator's first appearance at the indust...

British Airways unveils new Terminal 5 lounge, marking the next phase of Heathrow transformation

British Airways has unveiled the next phase of its Heathrow lounge transformation programme, marking the beginning of a significant investment aimed at modernising every lounge across the airport in t...

Corsair takes to the skies in pink this October

  For the fourth consecutive year, Corsair is reaffirming its commitment to the fight against breast cancer by partnering with the association "Les Hôtesses de l’Air cont...

IADA sees strong demand and constrained inventory shaping the global preowned aircraft market

The International Aircraft Dealers Association (IADA) has released its 2026-2027 Current Market Portrait & Forecast, offering an in-depth analysis of the global preowned business av...

Etihad Airways and Ibom Air launch interline partnership linking Nigeria to Etihad’s global network

Etihad Airways has signed an interline agreement with Nigerian airline Ibom Air, enabling travellers to connect seamlessly beyond Lagos and Accra to five destinations across Nigeria on a single t...

Travel leaders unite behind EU Digital Omnibus to advance the future of secure biometric travel

A new travel industry coalition is urging EU policymakers to adopt a balanced and proportionate approach to biometric travel, ensuring passengers can benefit from secure and seamless journeys while ma...

PAL-V, AVION and FLYVE announce strategic partnership to scale global FlyDrive training infrastructure

PAL-V has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AVION, a specialist in advanced flight training devices, and FLYVE, a developer of FlyDrive ecosystems for professional and government operator...

FACC unlocks new growth opportunities through strategic funding

Rising production rates and the launch of new aircraft programs are driving increased demand for manufacturing capacity across the aerospace industry. To support this growth, FACC plans to i...

Tecnam expands U.S. presence with Finnoff as exclusive Western Region distributor for the P2012

Tecnam has announced a landmark strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the growth of its P2012 aircraft family across the United States. Under the agreement, Finnoff has been appointed the exclus...

Emirates arrives in Helsinki for the first time

  Emirates has officially inaugurated services to Helsinki, marking a significant milestone in connectivity between Finland and the United Arab Emirates. The new daily route is the only year-r...

KLM marks fleet milestone with delivery of its first Airbus A350-900

Dutch flag carrier KLM, part of the Air France-KLM Group, has welcomed its first Airbus A350-900, marking a significant step in the airline’s long-haul fleet modernization strategy. The arrival...

From first call to final mission: Helicopter Alliance’s Black Hawks excel throughout fire season

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters operated by Helicopter Alliance played a vital role in combating wildfires across Central and Southern Europe during the aerial firefighting season that has now concluded....

GE Aerospace names FL Technics Indonesia as first MRO partner for avionics support

FL Technics Indonesia, the first MRO in Indonesia to be appointed as a GE Aerospace avionics support partner, has signed a service support agreement with GE Aerospace covering Boeing 737 and Airbus A3...

SkyDrive eyes Osaka’s rooftops for a new generation of eVTOL vertiports

Following the successful public flight demonstrations at Expo 2025 Osaka, SkyDrive announced plans to undertake a feasibility study exploring the conversion of Osaka City’s existi...

Azerbaijan Airlines continues fleet modernisation with delivery of another Airbus A321neo

Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), part of AZCON Holding, has taken delivery of another Airbus A321neo, increasing its fleet to 31 aircraft as the carrier continues its long-term modernisation strategy. The...

Ethiopian Airlines grows cargo ambitions with Boeing 777 and 777-8 freighters

Boeing and Ethiopian Airlines have announced a new cargo fleet expansion agreement, with the African carrier ordering eight 777-8 Freighters and two additional 777 Freighters. The investment will enab...

Textron Aviation helps shape tomorrow’s workforce through Kansas’ first aviation youth apprenticeship initiative

As the first aviation company in Kansas to introduce state-registered youth apprenticeships through the Kansas Office of Apprenticeships, Textron Aviation is taking a leading role in workforce develop...

FLYONE Armenia orders two Airbus A321neo

FLYONE Armenia, the country’s leading airline, has finalised an order with Airbus for two A321neo aircraft, marking a significant milestone in its fleet modernisation strategy. The agreement was...

CAA Malaysia advances air traffic controller recruitment strategy with Airways International’s SureSelect

Airways International has entered into a new five-year partnership with the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM), extending the use of its SureSelect air traffic control (ATC) candidate assessm...

ATP Flight School hosts Alumni Career Expo featuring 20 airline and industry partners

On October 1, ATP Flight School will welcome nearly 500 aspiring airline pilots to its Arlington, Texas training center for an exclusive career expo featuring 20 airline and industry partners. Attende...

Airbus A350F freighter successfully performs its maiden flight

The Airbus A350F freighter (MSN 700), the first of two flight test aircraft, has successfully completed its maiden flight. Equipped with dedicated flight test instrumentation, the aircraft spent 4 hou...