Runway Girl
• Mary Kirby
The European Commission, ESA and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement on Aug. 7, 2026, for IRIS², a sovereign communications network of 348 spacecraft in low and medium Earth orbit. Separately, Airbus says it is fielding interest in HBCplus, an inflight-connectivity solution supporting GEO and Lightspeed LEO services.
Airbus
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The European Commission, ESA and the SpaceRISE consortium signed an implementation agreement on Aug. 7, 2026, for IRIS², a sovereign communications network of 348 spacecraft in low and medium Earth orbit. Separately, Airbus says it is fielding interest in HBCplus, an inflight-connectivity solution supporting GEO and Lightspeed LEO services.
Airbus A220s will be offered with a Safran system designed to preserve satellite-based navigation amid GPS jamming. The equipment, already used on military aircraft, brings an anti-interference capability to a commercial airliner; the A220 is set to be the first airliner to carry the system.
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ESA says the engine issues behind Ariane 6 launch delays are resolved and is studying ways to increase the rocket’s flight rate. Airbus Netherlands has delivered a Vulcain Aft Bay 400 kilograms lighter and 55 millimeters shorter, while Europe’s access to orbit continues to depend on regular Ariane 6 and Vega-C launches.
airBaltic will provide five Airbus A220-300s to Lufthansa Group airlines under wet-lease agreements in winter 2026/27, even as the Latvian carrier remains in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the United States. The arrangement gives Lufthansa Group seasonal capacity while putting airBaltic’s fleet to work during its restructuring.
The Royal Air Force will use aircraft including CH-47 Chinook helicopters and Airbus A400M transports to support wildfire response, an unprecedented role for the fleet. The move follows the hottest summer on record and adds military airlift assets to the UK’s aerial firefighting capability.
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Emirates will swap a Boeing 777 for its latest Airbus A350 on one daily Dubai–Mauritius service from Nov. 1, adding the aircraft’s new Business Class and Premium Economy cabins. The change will sit alongside two daily A380 flights, increasing the range of cabin products offered on the route.
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Airbus expects the global dedicated freighter fleet to expand from 2,360 aircraft in 2026 to 3,460 by 2045. Of the 2,670 additional freighters it forecasts the market will need, 1,700 are expected to come from passenger-aircraft conversions and 970 to be new-build aircraft; Latin America is forecast to require 165.
Cyprus Airways foresees operating a fleet of 10 Airbus A220s and A320-family aircraft by the second quarter of 2028. The available report does not specify the fleet split or how the airline plans to reach that total.
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