ch-aviation
• Hilka Birns
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.
Airbus
Latest source-backed stories
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.
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.
High activity
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.
High activity
Airbus Netherlands has shipped the first lightweight Vulcain Aft Bay for Ariane 6, part of the rocket’s final Block 2 upgrades. The aft bay is a structural component, and its reduced weight supports the upgraded launcher’s performance goals.
The proposed airworthiness directive would require inspections of a connection to the main rotor servo-controls on affected Airbus AS350 AStar-family helicopters in the United States. The FAA estimates the directive would cover 980 aircraft; the notice concerns a potential safety issue and does not describe a final rule.
Create a free account to see more recent Airbus stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
