50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

Aviation essential

Essential and most important aviation news

Latest essential aviation news

Pope Francis Gets Presidential TFR Treatment

In preparation for the visit of Pope Francis to Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City, the U.S.government erected a massive Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over the areas where he will be greeted by millions of people. The same as those used whenever President Obama travels or goe...

Divert (From the Pilot’s Point Of View)

di·vert dəˈvərt, dīˈvərt/ verb: divert; 3rd person present: diverts; past tense: diverted; past participle: diverted; gerund or present participle: diverting cause (someone or something) to change course or turn from one direction to another. If you’re reading this, there’s...


Lufthansa LCC Eurowings mulls cooperation with easyJet

Lufthansa Group’s low-cost subsidiary Eurowings and UK low-cost carrier easyJet reportedly could become partners, Lufthansa Group chairman and CEO Carsten Spohr told German magazine Der Spiegel. A Lufthansa spokesperson in Frankfurt confirmed Spohr’s quotes to ATW. “We can cooperate with other airlines very actively. EasyJet had also shown interest in the past to...

BBA Aviation proposes to buy Landmark Aviation for $2.07 billion

British aircraft services company BBA Aviation Plc said it proposed to buy U.S. competitor Landmark Aviation for $2.065 billion, a deal that would make the combined entity the biggest fixed-base operator in the world. The proposed deal would merge BBA Aviation's Signature Flight Support business, which has the highest number of fixed base operations (FBO) in the United States, with Landmark...

Lockheed says U.S. approves its $9 billion takeover of Sikorsky

Lockheed Martin Corp said on Thursday that U.S. officials have approved its $9 billion takeover of Black Hawk helicopter maker Sikorsky Aircraft from United Technologies Corp. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said authorities in Japan and South Korea had also approved the deal, but it was waiting for other regulatory approvals. Multiple sources famili...

Finnair’s pilot supplementary pension costs may increase due to Finnish employee pension reform

In autumn 2014, the Finnish labour market organisations agreed on reforms to the public pension system, involving, among other things, a gradual increase of the statutory retirement age from 63 to 65 years. The Finnish Parliament is expected to adopt the Act in late 2015, and it is expected to become effective at the beginning of 2017. Finnair’s pilot pension benefits, which exceed the ex...

Ryanair To Distribute €398M Aer Lingus Proceeds To Shareholders

Ryanair, Europe’s favourite airline, held its AGM in Dublin this morning (24 Sep 2015), during which the airline briefed shareholders on the continuing success of its “Always Getting Better” (AGB) customer experience programme, which has enabled Ryanair to raise its full year traffic forecast (previously 103m) to 104m customers, and its profit guidance by 25%, (previous...

Bloomberg: Putin plans air strikes in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing for unilateral air strikes against Islamic State in Syria if the United States rejects his proposal to join forces, Bloomberg reported citing two people familiar with the matter. Russia has increased its military presence inside Syria and its arms supplies to the Syrian army as it steps up support of longtime ally President Bashar al-Assad...

Moorabbin Airport turns to farming in aid of charity

Moorabbin Airport has gifted a 3,000 square metre plot of land on site to a local charity kitchen for growing vegetables. The initiative with Victoria’s FareShare, a charity kitchen which rescues food and cooks meals for more than 400 charities across the state, is expected to produce 12 tonnes of vegetables such as pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower and capsicum a year, enough for one millio...

ACI and CANSO launch new initiative on reducing aviation noise

On behalf of airports and air traffic management, ACI (Airports Council International) and CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation) have collaborated closely to launch a new initiative to help reduce noise from aviation. They have today published “Managing the Impacts of Aviation Noise”, a best practice guide for reducing aviation noise, especially for communities near a...

Explore the Challenger 605

VistaJet, global aircraft services provder, presents their new Challenger 605 intercontinental jet with the widest cabin in its category, enhancing personal productivity and performance. The Challenger 605 is an outstanding intercontinental jet with seating up to 12 passengers with five sleeping positions. Under the VistaJet Fleet Renewal Program, VistaJet is proud to present over ten Chal...

Frugal Globetrotter President Xi Jinping Flies Air China Rather Than a Special "Air Force One"

The U.S. President Barack Obama uses his own plane -- widely known around the world simply by its air traffic control call sign, "Air Force One" -- and so does North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. However, China has no special plane. When President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan flew to the U.S. they took a commercial flight. Xi and the first lady Peng Liyuan arrived in the...

Green light for business aviation in Crimea

Last month a meeting was held in Novorossiysk on the development of transport infrastructure in southern Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a list of instructions, including related to the Republic of Crimea. Till 1 of March 2016, Russian government in cooperation with Crimea and Sevastopol authorities must submit proposals- what needs to be done in...

EU to Challenge Germany over Pilot Licensing After Germanwings Crash - Source

The European Commission is poised to launch a legal challenge against Germany's air safety authorities and in particular its system for renewing pilots' licences, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. The Commission will tell Germany that its licence renewal practices are not in line with EU law in that they gave priority to privacy rules over safety for pilots...

Upcoming events

SAF Global Summit 2026

22/09/2026 - 23/09/2026
United Kingdom, London

NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition 2026

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

Top of the week

Electra and The Atlas Group formalize airframe agreement for EL9 ultra‑short

Electra and The Atlas Group today announced a landmark airframe agreement for the EL9 Ultra‑Short aircraft, uniting Electra’s next‑generation design with Atlas’s established aerospace manu...

HondaJet Echelon advances to next phase with successful wing assembly

Honda Aircraft Company announced the completion of the first wing structure for the HondaJet Echelon test aircraft, marking a pivotal advancement in the program and moving the new light‑jet platform i...

Airbus is expanding its delivery capacity for the A320 family in Toulouse with a new integrated center

Airbus has officially unveiled a new delivery center at its Jean‑Luc Lagardère site, northwest of Toulouse, marking a significant milestone in the industrial ramp‑up of the A320 Family. Purpose...

Qantas unveils Adelaide Product Innovation Centre, accelerating growth, employment and skills pathways

Qantas has inaugurated its new Product Innovation Centre in Adelaide, with South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas joining Qantas Group Chief Technology, AI and Transformation Officer Rachel Yangoy...

Ten years of Riga Aviation Forum — insights from Zigmars Vestfals on growth, milestones and the road ahead

As the 10th edition of the Riga Aviation Forum was getting ready to open, 50SkyShades — a long‑standing Media Partner of the event — took the opportunity to sit down with Zigmars Vestfals,...

Drukair, Royal Bhutan Airlines selects CFM LEAP-1A engines to power 5 Airbus A320neo family aircraft

Drukair – Royal Bhutan Airlines, the national flag carrier of the Kingdom of Bhutan, has announced its decision to equip five Airbus A320neo‑family aircraft with CFM International LEAP‑1A engine...

Boeing, American Airlines complete first 737 MAX landing gear exchange

Boeing and American Airlines announced the successful completion of the first landing gear exchange for a 737 MAX, marking a key milestone as the company extends its longstanding Landing Gear Exchange...

Samson Sky secures $80 million to launch switchblade flying car production

Samson Sky, developer of the Switchblade Flying Car, announced it has secured an $80 million investment from Dubai‑based Matin Group. According to Sam Bousfield, CEO, Founder...

Global Jet Capital releases its annual 2026 Business Jet Forecast

Global Jet Capital has released its sixth annual Business Jet Market Forecast, outlining a confident outlook for the sector. The updated analysis anticipates steady expansion over the next five years,...

Uzbekistan Airways signs long-term support agreement

Uzbekistan Airways and Lufthansa Technik have renewed their cooperation with a long‑term agreement extending comprehensive component support for the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A3...

Gol connects Europe to El Calafate and Ushuaia through its network in Brazil

Gol Airlines continues to expand its South American reach, leveraging its Brazilian network to open new travel possibilities. European passengers can now access southern Argentina through São P...

flydubai Launches dedicated freighter operations to accelerate regional trade growth

flydubai unveiled the launch of its dedicated freighter operations, a dynamic expansion that advances the airline’s diversification strategy and further elevates Dubai’s standing as a glob...

TAROM took delivery of its first Boeing 737 MAX

Boeing, TAROM and CDB Aviation have celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first 737‑8, marking the arrival of Romania’s first Boeing 737 MAX and a key milestone in the national carrier&...

ExecuJet MRO Services to showcase MRO capabilities at AAD 2026

ExecuJet MRO Services South Africa, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, will be exhibiting at the Africa Aerospace & Defence (AAD) Expo 2026 at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria (1...

KVE celebrates 30 years of innovation and accelerates its growth within the Daher Group

KVE by Daher is marking its 30th anniversary with the inauguration of a significant expansion of its production facility in The Hague — a development that signals the start of a new acceleration...

TARMAC Aerosave and AerFin deepen their partnership, processing over ten new‑generation aircraft for dismantling and recycling this year

TARMAC Aerosave, Europe’s leading specialist in aircraft storage, maintenance, dismantling and recycling, has announced an expanded collaboration with AerFin, the global aviation asset‑managemen...

Air Charter Expo achieves third consecutive year of record‑breaking attendance

Global trade body The Air Charter Association (The ACA) celebrated another record‑setting edition of Air Charter Expo (ACE’26) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, delivered in partnership with Busines...

F1 Spanish Grand Prix Week | EHang showcases EH216-S and a 3,000-drone light show at the FIA Sustainable Innovation Series

EHang announced its extensive involvement in the FIA Sustainable Innovation Series held in Madrid during the Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix week. Organized by the Fédération Internationale...

Is Australia’s regional turboprop fleet aging well? Why OEM support matters more than build year

Regional turboprop fleets show stark disparities in age, reliability, and economic viability. Many aircraft are approaching end‑of‑life, while others are increasingly difficult to operate as spare‑par...

BGS begins fueling cooperation with Airest at Kaunas and Riga airports

Baltic Ground Services (BGS), a global provider of ground handling and aircraft fueling services, has initiated cooperation with Airest, taking over into‑plane fueling operations at Kaunas (KUN) and R...

Vista House makes exclusive Asia debut amid Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix excitement

Vista is set to debut its signature hospitality concept, Vista House, in Singapore, elevating one of Asia’s most anticipated sporting weekends with a refined, members‑only experience. Conceived...

FlyBy Aviation Academy opens new pilot course (batch 26500) with 44 cadets from 14 nationalities

FlyBy Aviation Academy, one of the largest and most international EASA-approved pilot training organisations in Europe, is pleased to announce the start of a new pilot training course — internal...

Qantas charters NFL teams to Melbourne ahead of historic first game

The Los Angeles Rams have touched down in Melbourne on a Qantas charter flight ahead of Friday's NFL game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the first regular season game the league has played in Au...

AIRCAIRO places order for 15 Airbus A320neo aircraft

AIRCAIRO, Egypt’s National growing Air-carrier, has signed a firm order for 15 Airbus A320neo aircraft at the El Alamein International Airshow 2026. The agreement marks an important mi...

Daher Aircraft is ranked No. 1 in Pro Pilot magazine’s Product Support Survey for the sixth consecutive year

Daher Aircraft has reaffirmed its leadership in turboprop aviation, securing the No. 1 position for the sixth consecutive year in Professional Pilot magazine’s Product Support Survey. In the 202...