50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

Aviation essential

Essential and most important aviation news

Latest essential aviation news

Metrojet A321 Was Downed by Bomb, Black Box Analysis Indicates

The Russian airliner which crashed in the Sinai desert, killing 224 people, was downed by a bomb, analysis of the black box recorders indicates. Sources close to the investigation said an explosion could be heard on the recorder, and ruled out mechanical failure or crew error as explanations....

Russia suspends all Russian airline flights to Egypt

Russia has suspended  all Russian airline flights to/from Egypt, citing the ongoing investigation into the Oct. 31 Metrojet Airbus A321 crash. The sweeping suspension of flights to all of Egypt goes further than the UK and Ireland, which have banned flights to/from Sharm el-Sheikh,...


Lufthansa cancels 290 flights on day 1 of week-long cabin crew strike

Lufthansa has canceled 290 out of 3,000 flights—including 15 intercontinental services—on the first day of a week-long strike by its cabin crew, which is represented by the UFO union. According to Lufthansa, 37,000 passengers have been affected. UFO called for the strike in Frankfurt and Dusseldorf after long-running (December 2013) talks over pay, retirement benefits and wo...

Russian Federal Security Service chief calls for suspending all Russian flights to Egypt

This is necessary until the true causes of what happened are established, Alexander Bortnikov notes. Alexander Bortnikov, director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), has called for suspending Russian flights to Egypt until the true causes behind the A321 crash are established. "So long as we do not establish the true causes of what happened, I think it would be reasonable to...

Minimising stress airport - welcome to Baku

Once again we are going back to 50skyshades visit to Baku. This time with our big discovery - minimising stress airport, we felt in love with after seeing so many different around the world. Discovering Heydar Aliyev International Airport we felt so comfortable, were impressed by so many things, that it was absolutely necessary to find out more and share with our readers. So let’s st...

It's been 100 years since one of the biggest game-changers in military aviation history

On November 5, 1915, a plane was launched from a ship by catapult for the first time in history. And, despite the prevaling ideas at the time that naval aviation was an outlandish endeavor, the flight was a success.    Naval History & Heritage CommandCurtiss AB-2 (C-2) Aircraft being catapulted from USS North Carolina (ACR-12) on 5 November 1915.  The p...

Airbus’ A350-1000 Trent XWB-97 engine begins flight-test campaign on A380 flying-test-bed

The A350-1000’s new engine – the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 – has successfully made its first flight-test aboard Airbus’ dedicated A380 “Flying-Test-Bed” aircraft. The aircraft took off from Airbus’ facilities in Toulouse and performed a flight of 4 hours, 14 mins during which the engine covered a wide range of power settings at altitudes up to 35,000ft. The...

Lufthansa Cabin Crews Set to Start Airline's Longest Strike

Deutsche Lufthansa AG faces its longest-ever strike after flight attendants rejected the airline's latest offer in a long-running dispute over savings efforts aimed at weathering competition from low-cost rivals such as Ryanair. Cabin crew are set to halt work Friday afternoon, the UFO labor union said in a statement Thursday, without specifying the exact time or routes and airports th...

Airbus sees Middle East as important market for its new ACJneo family

Airbus sees an important potential market for its new ACJneo Family in the Middle East, where private jets are well established as business tools for companies, billionaires and governments, helping them to be more productive and efficient. Airbus’ ACJneo Family initially comprises the ACJ319neo and ACJ320neo. The ACJ319neo will fly eight passengers 6,750nm/12,500 km – equivalent to...

Lufthansa Group airlines suspend all flights to Sinai until further notice

The airlines of the Lufthansa Group have suspended their commercial flight operations to and from the Sinai Peninsula until further notice. The precautionary action has been taken in view of the current Sinai situation. The Lufthansa Group will coordinate all its further actions in this regard in close consultation with the authorities. The action affects two planned weekly flights to and from Sha...

ANALYSIS: Gulf airports fight for share of rapidly rising demand

Airport investment is in overdrive at aviation’s busiest global crossroads, as the hubs of Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways vie to keep pace with the growth of their flag-carriers, and with eachother to attract international air traffic. While Doha’s new Hamad International is about to embark on an expansion that will take throughput to almost 70 million pass...

Airbus eyes the wide game in China

Airbus expects strong demand for widebody aircraft in China, as Chinese carriers work on their fleet plans for the next five years. Speaking to Flightglobal in Beijing, Airbus China president Eric Chen says the boom in outbound traffic, coupled with the relatively small widebody fleet in the country, will drive airlines to look at larger jets. The continued bottlenecks at the country’s ai...

Latvia sells 20% stake in Air Baltic to German investor

Following lengthy deliberations, the Latvian government has agreed to sell a 20% stake in Air Baltic(BT,Riga) to German investor Ralf Dieter Montag-Girmes for EUR52 million (USD57.2 million). The official LETA news service says that alongside Montag-Girmes' investment, government will shore up the carrier's coffers with an EUR80 million (USD88 million) loan from the Latvian central bank...

Qatar Airways receives its latest Dreamliners

Qatar Airways took delivery of its 24th and 25th Boeing 787 Dreamliners yesterday in a ceremony at Boeing's production facility in Everett, United States. Above: Celebrating the official handover to Qatar Airways of its 24th and 25th B787 Dreamliner in Seattle are, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker (second from right) and Boeing Commercial Presi...

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

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...

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...

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...

Emirates opens the door to a memorable Dubai winter

As Dubai prepares for another vibrant winter season, Emirates is inviting travellers from across its global network to discover the city with unparalleled comfort, convenience and exceptional value. L...

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...

German aviation reaches new milestone as Deutsche Aircraft opens D328eco® Final Assembly Line

A new era for German aerospace began today as Deutsche Aircraft officially opened its Final Assembly Line (FAL) at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Joined by senior government representatives Christian Hirte an...

EHang brings Global Fast Track Program to Vietnam, marking its second international market

EHang has announced the expansion of its Global Fast Track Program to Vietnam, making it the second country to join the initiative after Sri Lanka. The program’s launch in Hanoi also marks...

Tanis brings comprehensive STC and PMA support to Daher TBM 700-series turboprops

Tanis Aircraft Products, a division of Hartzell Propeller, has expanded its portfolio of aircraft preheating solutions with the approval of a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) covering the entire Da...

VINCI Airports announces the most significant investment plan in Edinburgh Airport’s history: £500 million over five years to support its growth

VINCI Airports has announced a landmark £500 million investment programme for Edinburgh Airport over the next five years, marking the largest investment in the airport's history. The initiat...

Biman Bangladesh Airlines boosts fleet modernization through 11-jet Boeing order

Boeing and Biman Bangladesh Airlines announced the national carrier placed an order for 11 787 Dreamliner and 737 MAX airplanes to grow and renew its fleet. The purchase, which includes five 787-10 an...

New wings for humanitarian missions: Props for a Purpose welcomes its first dedicated Tecnam P2012 Traveller

Props for a Purpose, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to humanitarian aviation, has acquired its first dedicated aircraft, a Tecnam P2012 Traveller.The aircraft has been secured through a...

RECARO Aircraft Seating Polska celebrates opening of expanded production and office facility

RECARO Aircraft Seating Polska has reached a significant milestone with the opening of its expanded production and office facility in Świebodzin, Poland. The double-digit million-euro investment more...

TFC Flight Traininge elevates pilot training journey with new Pipistrel Explorer

TFC Flight Training has become the first flight school in Germany to operate the Pipistrel Explorer following the delivery of two aircraft from Pipistrel, a Textron Inc. company and affiliate of Textr...

Navigating change: Luxaviation UK's George Galanopoulos on growth, innovation and resilience

The business aviation landscape is evolving rapidly. Client expectations are shifting, demand for unique travel experiences is on the rise, and aircraft acquisitions remain resilient despite geopoliti...

flydubai becomes first airline to launch scheduled international flights to Pokhara

flydubai has expanded its Nepal network with the launch of daily direct flights between Dubai and Pokhara, marking the first-ever non-stop service linking Dubai with western Nepal. The new route makes...

magniX powers eFlyer 2 milestone as Bye Aerospace achieves first flight

Bye Aerospace’s eFlyer 2 has completed its first flight powered by magniX’s Samson300 battery system, marking a significant step forward for electric flight training technology. Departing...

The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies and Boeing celebrate grand opening of expanded Saskatchewan Aviation Learning Centre

The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) and Boeing today celebrated the expansion of the Saskatchewan Aviation Learning Centre (SALC), marking a new chapter in their partnership to su...

Vertical Aerospace unveils Valo Assembly Centre to support next phase of aircraft development

Vertical Aerospace has unveiled a new Aircraft Assembly Centre at Cotswold Airport, reinforcing its transition from aircraft development and testing to certification and early-stage production of its...

RAF 2026 - RTU opens new pathways for European aerospace collaboration

Speaking during the Riga Aviation Forum 2026, Pauls Irbins, Head of the Aerospace Direction at the RTU Innovation Office, presented a compelling vision of how Riga Technical University (RTU) can becom...

Heart Aerospace unveils ES-36, announces JSX purchase agreement for up to 100 aircraft

Heart Aerospace has unveiled the ES-36, its new 36-seat hybrid-electric regional airliner and planned production aircraft. Concurrently, award-winning air carrier JSX announced a deposit-backed agreem...