Newsletter
Qantas confirms Sydney-New York nonstop for mid-2028, the second Project Sunrise route. NATS suffers a second technical failure in 13 days at its Prestwick centre, cancelling around 200 flights.
Newsletter
A cut fibre line triggers ground stops across five Northeast airports on 21 September. Airlines for America blocks Air China's request for additional Xi visit flights. American, United and Southwest warn Q4 capacity may be cut as jet fuel hits $4.51 per gallon.
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India placed SpiceJet under formal financial scrutiny on 22 September 2026 as prolonged cash flow pressures and rising fuel costs threaten operations. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed the government is monitoring the carrier through the DGCA.
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Japan Airlines is leaning toward Embraer's E2 over the Airbus A220 for approximately 20 regional jets, Bloomberg reported on 22 September. A decision is expected as soon as October. JAL also renewed its Embraer support agreement for 32 existing E-Jets on 21 September.
Newsletter
Malaysia Aviation Group is closing in on an order for ten Boeing 787-10s, its first widebody Dreamliner purchase, with 2031 deliveries. Boeing CEO flags wing production as the bottleneck holding back the 737 ramp to 47 per month. The FAA deploys SMART near Washington in its first live use.
Newsletter
Korean Air placed a $44.8bn Boeing order on September 16, the largest in the carrier's history, covering four types across the merged group's fleet plan. GOL launched its first European service, Rio to Lisbon, on the same day. Two carriers, two very different versions of confidence in this industry.
Analysis
Korean Air finalised a 103-jet Boeing order on 16 September valued at $44.8bn including engines. Three of the four types are not yet certified. A Pro analysis of what the order reveals about the merged Korean Air-Asiana group's fleet strategy and competitive intent.
Boeing and SPEEA resume formal negotiations today with a 6 October strike deadline looming. EasyJet extends its Apollo scheme document deadline. Air Canada announces new summer 2027 destinations in what it calls its most extensive intercontinental expansion.
Michael O'Leary has been right about fuel risk, ancillary revenue, secondary airports and marketing for thirty years. The industry is still laughing.
FlyAtlantic has been planning to launch transatlantic flights from Belfast since 2022. The launch date has moved three times. The A321XLR changes the economics of the model in ways that previous attempts could not access. Whether the airline can actually get off the ground is a different question.
Delta's American Express partnership generates $8 billion annually. IAG Loyalty is valued at $10.3 billion — double what it was worth in 2020. A forensic look at how frequent flyer miles became the most valuable asset in commercial aviation, and why the market still hasn't priced it correctly.
Independent analysis on airline financials, strategy and market-moving developments. Free, every week.
GOL launched Rio-Lisbon on 16 September 2026 using a wet-leased A330-200, 15 months after Chapter 11 and ahead of its own A330-900neo deliveries. A Pro analysis of the demand-building logic and what the route needs to prove before scale.
Lufthansa Group's supervisory board approved 20 Boeing 737 MAX 10 aircraft on 17 September, the group's first MAX 10 order. List value $3.4bn. The jets will replace older Airbus A320-family aircraft from the early 2030s. 40 options remain unexercised.
Aegean Airlines reported a first-half 2026 net loss of €3.3mn on 14 September, swinging from a €47.9mn profit a year earlier. Revenue rose 4% to €816.6mn and passengers grew 3% to 7.8mn. Fuel costs hit net profit by €40mn despite hedging.
AirBaltic files for Chapter 11 on 14 September, securing €350mn in DIP financing and targeting June 2027 emergence. Boeing will power up the VC-25B Air Force One before year-end with a 2027 first flight. Heathrow CEO says 40-plus airlines want slots the airport cannot fill without a third runway.
airBaltic filed for Chapter 11 in New York on 14 September 2026 with €350mn in DIP financing secured at 12%. The carrier enters with €583.9mn in funded debt and €992.5mn in lease obligations. Pratt and Whitney is the largest unsecured creditor at $66.5mn.
Heathrow handled 7.8mn passengers in August 2026, down 2.1%, while more than 40 airlines seek slots the airport cannot provide. Middle East traffic fell 19.8%. The 40-airline queue is the highest ever disclosed and is being used to argue for third runway expansion.
Transat AT swings to a $106.6mn loss as fuel costs rise 56 per cent and Cuba suspensions bite; a $250mn government loan follows. The FAA rolls out SMART this month after convening airline CEOs. KLM clears its final A350-900 certification hurdle ahead of first delivery this month.
Singapore Airlines is demanding governance reform before committing $375mn more to an airline that cost it $731mn in equity losses last year. Apollo made two aviation acquisitions worth more than $15bn in August. This edition analyses what minority stakes actually cost and what Apollo is building.
Apollo acquired easyJet for £5.7bn and a stake in Atlantic Aviation at a $10bn valuation in the same month. A Pro analysis of whether Apollo is building an integrated aviation platform or assembling a portfolio of independently defensible assets.
Singapore Airlines has one board seat at Air India and is being asked to invest another $375mn into a carrier losing $2.33bn a year. A Pro analysis of SIA's governance exposure, what its stake costs per quarter, and whether the 2022 investment thesis still holds.
Ryanair announced its record Winter 2026 schedule for Sweden on 10 September, with 43 routes and 4.6 million annual passengers, including five new city pairs and an eighth based aircraft at Stockholm Arlanda. Future growth is conditional on Swedavia reversing a 22% rise in airport charges.
Portugal is expected to choose before end of September between Air France-KLM and Lufthansa for a 44.9-49.9% stake in TAP, valued at approximately €1.5bn. The two bidders want fundamentally different things from the same airline.