M1 Support Services (M1) has secured a single-award indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract worth up to US$10 billion to provide Initial Entry Rotary Wing (IERW) training under the US Army’s Flight School Next (FSN) programme. The contract has a 26-year period of performance and forms part of the Army’s efforts to modernise rotary-wing pilot training while
Alfor Aviation (Alfor) has advanced plans for a £50 million aircraft conversion campus at Teesside International Airport following a visit to the site by the company’s senior leadership. The visit follows the signing of a 50-year agreement at the recent Farnborough International Airshow. Under the deal, Alfor will develop a purpose-built passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion facility
Avolon has agreed a sale-and-leaseback transaction with India’s Akasa Air covering up to seven Boeing 737-8200 aircraft. The deal expands the aviation finance company’s existing partnership with Akasa and will support the airline’s continued fleet growth and network development in the Indian market. The 737-8200 is the highest-capacity variant of the 737-8 MAX, offering improved
airBaltic has outlined the key elements of a revised business plan aimed at strengthening its long-term competitiveness, improving financial sustainability and maintaining connectivity for Latvia and the wider Baltic region. Approved by the airline’s Supervisory Board, the plan combines a more focused network centred on Riga, a smaller all-Airbus A220-300 fleet, stronger year-round ACMI partnerships
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has signed a purchase-and-leaseback agreement with Saudia covering four new Boeing 777F aircraft. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery between October 2026 and May 2027 and will be leased to the Saudi Arabian flag carrier under long-term agreements. DAE said the additional 777Fs would support Saudia’s expanding cargo operations and increase
Airbus has completed the longest point-to-point flight ever undertaken by an A350-1000ULR flight-test aircraft, flying non-stop from Toulouse to Melbourne before returning to France as part of development testing for Qantas’ Project Sunrise programme. The campaign began on July 23, when test aircraft MSN707 departed Toulouse for Melbourne. Five days later, the aircraft flew back
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has completed its previously announced acquisition of Macquarie AirFinance (MAF) in a transaction with an enterprise value of about US$9 billion. The deal expands DAE’s portfolio to around 1,000 owned, managed and committed aircraft, cementing its position as the world’s third-largest aircraft lessor by fleet value and number of owned and
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has appointed Saadia Zahidi as its next Director General, making her the first woman to lead the organisation. Zahidi, currently a Managing Director at the World Economic Forum (WEF), will take up the role on November 1, 2026. She succeeds Willie Walsh, who steps down on July 31, after
The Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa has appointed Lorenza Maggio as the next Chief Executive Officer of Brussels Airlines, subject to approval by the Board of Directors of SN Airholding. Maggio will also take on the role of Executive Board Representative to the European Commission. She will succeed Dorothea von Boxberg, who is leaving the
GE Aerospace will supply CT7-2E1 engines for 23 Leonardo AW149 helicopters selected for the UK Ministry of Defence’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme. The contract includes spare engines, spare parts, long-term support services and technical support. The CT7-2E1 already powers most AW149 and AW189 helicopters in service, with more than 300 engines delivered and over
