The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday granted type certification to Boeing’s 737-10 MAX, clearing the largest member of the 737 MAX family for commercial service after a certification campaign that stretched years beyond the original target. The approval, signed during a ceremony at Boeing’s 737 MAX production line in Everett, Washington, comes in the form of an amended type certificate and also includes an updated Production Limitation Record authorizing the company

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation confirmed in an official statement early Sunday that King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was struck by a missile attack on Saturday, October 10, killing 12 people and injuring 309 others. It is the deadliest attack on a Gulf state since the Iran war erupted in February. According to the detailed statement released by the Saudi civil aviation authority, those killed included four Saudi citizens and residents from Bangl

Queen Suthida of Thailand made history on October 8, 2026, becoming the country’s first female Gripen pilot after completing her first solo flight in a single-seat JAS 39C fighter jet. The 48-year-old queen took off from the Royal Thai Air Force’s Wing 7 base in southern Surat Thani province, with King Maha Vajiralongkorn observing from the ground. The flight lasted approximately 41 minutes .‌‌‌ Footage released by the Royal Household showed the queen conducting pre-flight ch

India's ambitious plan to launch its first dedicated seaplane service has been abruptly halted, after the Lakshadweep administration withdrew permission just days before the inaugural flight. The decision has left operator SkyHop Aviation with substantial sunk costs and raised broader questions about risk allocation in the government's regional connectivity push. SkyHop Aviation received its Air Operator Certificate from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in April 2026

Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), operated by Adani Airport Holdings, has informed 46 airlines that 265 of the 770 weekly international departure slots at Terminal 2 (T2) will be temporarily discontinued from 23:59 on October 25, coinciding with the start of the winter schedule. The airport operator says the freed-up capacity is needed to accommodate domestic traffic displaced by the redevelopment of Terminal 1 (T1), which handles domestic flights and is scheduled for

Aeroflot restarted daily Moscow–Abu Dhabi service on October 1, with low-cost carrier Pobeda set to launch the same route on October 25. Aeroflot resumed daily flights from Moscow Sheremetyevo to Abu Dhabi on October 1. The inaugural service, flight SU530, departed at 08:05 Moscow time with a nearly full commercial load, the carrier said. The route is operated by Boeing 737-800 aircraft in a two-class configuration, offering business and economy cabins. Flight time ranges fro

Aeroflot has signed a contract with state corporation Rostec for the supply and maintenance of 90 MC-21-310 aircraft, the largest order in the history of Russian civil aviation. Deliveries are scheduled from 2029 through 2032, with the agreement covering flight simulators, crew training, and technical support for 22 years. The contract was signed on September 18, 2026, in Moscow, with President Vladimir Putin participating via video link. The agreement involves three Rostec s

Sri Lanka's Air Force flew Buddhist monks over drought-stricken regions on Saturday evening, with the monks chanting prayers and airmen sprinkling holy water in a symbolic appeal for rain, as the island nation grapples with what officials describe as its "worst" El Niño climate phenomenon. Three saffron-robed monks chanted prayers aboard a Y-12 fixed-wing aircraft during the flight on the evening of September 19, invoking divine intervention to end the prolonged drought. Air

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan inaugurated Istanbul Airport's fourth main runway on September 18, marking a major capacity expansion for Europe's busiest aviation hub. The new east-west runway, built at a cost of €890 million, brings the airport's total number of runways to six. Measuring 2,820 meters long and 45 meters wide, the new runway is the airport's first oriented in an east-west direction. The facility's three primary runways and two secondary runways had all

A major technical failure at the UK's air traffic control centre has caused significant disruption to departing flights at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, and other major airports today, with engineers now reporting that systems are beginning to recover. The National Air Traffic Services (NATS) confirmed the issue originated in its flight processing system at the Swanwick control centre, triggering a near-total halt to departures across multiple airports. At Heathrow, departur

The trade confrontation between the United States and Canada intensified on Monday after President Donald Trump threatened to ban the sale of Canadian‑built Bombardier aircraft in the U.S. market unless production is moved to American soil. The remarks came as Canada prepared a major round of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, signalling a deepening rift between the two long‑standing trading partners. Trump’s warning was issued hours before Canada enacted $20 billion in count

Emirates has introduced a new benchmark in cabin design with the launch of the world’s first electrically powered Premium Economy seat featuring a full‑height adjustable privacy screen, debuting on its newly delivered Airbus A350 aircraft. The development marks a significant step in the evolution of the airline’s mid‑tier cabin product, positioning the A350 as a key platform for Emirates’ next phase of passenger‑experience upgrades. The redesigned seat, developed in partnersh

Chennai based cargo carrier AFCOM Cargo has taken a significant step toward expanding its long‑haul widebody operations, signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Boeing for the acquisition of up to four 777‑8F freighters. The disclosure was filed on 2 September 2026, marking the company’s first move into next‑generation widebody freighter capacity. According to AFCOM Holdings, the LOI remains subject to final documentation, but the carrier’s leadership has indicated that the int

Goa based start up FLY91 has placed a firm order for 40 ATR 72‑600 aircraft, representing the largest ATR firm order in nearly a decade and the largest ever placed by a regional airline. The agreement underscores the growing scale of India’s regional aviation market and the increasing demand for efficient turboprop operations. With this commitment, ATR’s order intake for 2026 rises to 54 aircraft, already exceeding the manufacturer’s total orders recorded in 2025. The deal pr

China’s home‑grown narrowbody jet, the COMAC C919, has taken a major step onto the global stage, completing its first scheduled international commercial passenger flight and marking a new milestone for the country’s fast‑growing civil aviation sector. On 12 August 2026, Air China Flight CA723 departed Beijing Capital International Airport at around 3:00 p.m., operating the historic service to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The aircraft landed at Chinggis Khaan International Airport,

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has opened a technical investigation into the severe turbulence encountered by an Air India Airbus A320 operating the Phuket–Delhi service on 4 August. The aircraft experienced a sudden vertical acceleration event during cruise, resulting in an estimated 300‑foot altitude deviation and causing injuries to seventeen passengers and four cabin crew. Several of the injured required medical attention after the aircraft landed in De

The Boeing 737‑7 has officially received its amended type certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, marking a major milestone for Boeing’s smallest 737 MAX variant and clearing the aircraft for commercial service after years of heightened regulatory scrutiny. The certification, issued in early August 2026, follows an extensive campaign of flight testing, system evaluations, and safety assessments. FAA engineers and test pilots conducted more than a thousand h

A Malaysia Airlines 737 pilot has been arrested at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after authorities uncovered more than 26 kilograms (57 pounds) of ecstasy and a package of methamphetamine in his luggage, Indonesian police confirmed. Customs officers detected a suspicious suitcase during X‑ray screening late Tuesday at the international arrivals terminal. The luggage was later claimed by the suspect, identified as a Malaysia Airlines pilot operating flight MH7

A Samoa Airways Twin Otter that had only recently completed a major refurbishment veered off the runway at Fitiuta Airport on Tuesday morning, injuring one person and prompting an immediate emergency response from authorities in American Samoa. The incident occurred at 10:37am when Flight 990 landed on Runway 12 and suddenly departed the paved surface. On board were two pilots and three passengers. One airline staff member suffered a leg injury and was treated at the Fitiuta

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a new airworthiness directive requiring airlines to inspect passenger seats on 453 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft after reports indicated that some seat assemblies may have been incorrectly installed, creating a potential safety hazard. According to the FAA, certain track‑mounted passenger seat assemblies were not properly secured in their seat tracks. In an emergency landing, turbulence event, or high‑load situation, these