ch-aviation
• Hilka Birns
Lebanon plans to begin commercial passenger service at René Mouawad Air Base in Tripoli on Dec. 14, 2026, after trial flights start Nov. 22. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced the schedule, marking the facility’s planned entry into the country’s passenger aviation network.
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Lebanon plans to begin commercial passenger service at René Mouawad Air Base in Tripoli on Dec. 14, 2026, after trial flights start Nov. 22. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced the schedule, marking the facility’s planned entry into the country’s passenger aviation network.
Asia-Pacific is expected to account for more than half of global aviation growth in coming decades, creating a major airport-buildout challenge. Alton Aviation’s Mabel Kwan discusses the cost of that infrastructure and who will finance it, arguing that airports should be designed to adapt as demand and requirements evolve.
Olympia Regional Airport in Washington is expected to see its first scheduled airline operations in early 2026. The available report does not identify the carrier, routes or service frequency, leaving the shape of the airport’s planned commercial offering unclear.
Gatwick’s board chair said the airport will open discussions with airlines on its northern runway project, which has entered the delivery phase. At Airlines 2026, the chair also pitched Gatwick as a viable alternative to Heathrow.
High activity
A 64-year-old American Airlines pilot was arrested at London Heathrow and charged with attempting to operate an aircraft while unfit due to drink or drugs. Reports say cocaine was involved; the incident grounded a US-bound flight, and the pilot remains in custody in Britain.
High activity
A British Airways A321neo was taken out of service after striking its tail twice while attempting to land at Heathrow, with investigators called in. Separately, an AAIB bulletin on a year-old incident says an A300-600F suffered significant structural damage after a tailstrike; investigators cited control-column back-pressure and spoiler extension as contributing factors.
Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye says the airport had to make a capacity-driven decision after proposing to end Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines’ co-location in Terminal 3. The plan has drawn Virgin’s anger, putting the operational trade-offs of allocating constrained terminal space in focus.
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