Airports News

Aviation Week

JAL adds Level 4 autonomous towing tractors at Fukuoka, its third airport deployment

Japan Airlines has begun fully driverless towing tractor operations at Fukuoka Airport, extending its Level 4 autonomous-driving program beyond Tokyo Haneda and Narita. The deployment makes Fukuoka the third airport in JAL’s network to use the technology for aircraft towing.

Skift

High activity

IndiGo and Air India Group to shift flights to Navi Mumbai as airport ramps up international service

IndiGo and Air India Group airlines will move some flights from Mumbai’s existing airport to Navi Mumbai International Airport in phases. IndiGo plans to start international operations there in February 2027, progressively shifting 12 daily departures and expanding service to 12 destinations; the changes also come as Mumbai’s Terminal 1 is prepared for redevelopment.

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

Ryanair Alicante–Newquay flight turns into nine-hour diversion after Storm Austen winds

A Ryanair flight from Alicante to Newquay, planned to take about two hours, became a nine-hour journey after 71 mph gusts associated with Storm Austen battered southwest England. The disruption left passengers on a flight to nowhere, underscoring how severe weather can derail regional airport operations and airline schedules.

AeroTime

Riyadh Air temporarily shifts operations to Al Qassim, resumes six routes

Riyadh Air is temporarily relocating its operational base from Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport to Al Qassim’s Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport. From Oct. 25, the airline is set to operate six routes linking Al Qassim with Cairo, Dhaka, Jeddah, London Heathrow, Lahore and Islamabad.

Bloomberg

High activity

Riyadh airport reopens after two-week shutdown as Houthis renew threat

King Khalid International Airport resumed domestic and international flights Sunday after a closure of about two weeks following Houthi attacks. The reopening came hours before the Iran-aligned group renewed its warning that the airport was a “military target”; passengers were urged to check flight status with airlines.

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

High activity

Saudi security concerns disrupt Riyadh flights as Riyadh Air shifts some operations to Al Qassim

Riyadh Air is moving some Boeing 787-9 services about 400 km northwest to Al Qassim, with passengers offered a complimentary 4.5-hour bus ride from Riyadh. Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air have suspended or extended suspensions on Saudi routes, with Air India’s pauses covering Riyadh and Dammam through Nov. 7 and Jeddah through Oct. 31, 2026.

Paddle Your Own Kanoo

High activity

Frankfurt pilots taxi onto runway in wrong direction, prompting ATC to abort takeoff

Pilots at Frankfurt Airport turned onto a runway in the wrong direction, leaving them with less than half the available takeoff distance, according to the report. Air traffic control spotted the error and ordered the pilots to abort, averting a potential near-miss from developing further.

AeroTime

High activity

Drone attack prompts flight restrictions at all four Moscow airports

Rosaviatsiya restricted arrivals and departures at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky after Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow. The disruption forced airlines to adjust schedules, with some international flights diverted to alternate airports and authorities seeking ways to transport affected passengers onward.