Bloomberg
• Kate Duffy
Singapore Airlines was named the world’s best airline in the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards, ahead of Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific. The results underscore the importance of cabin comfort and service, while Cathay’s planned lie-flat business-class seats signal continued competition for premium passengers on Asian routes.
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IndiGo CEO Willie Walsh is weighing a regional fleet renewal and a strategy to establish Delhi as an Asia gateway capable of competing with Middle Eastern hubs. The moves would mark the first major strategic priorities outlined since Walsh took over the Indian carrier several weeks ago.
South Korean F-35A and French Rafale fighters conducted a three-day joint aerial exercise at Cheongju air base, about 110 kilometers south of Seoul. The drill marked the first resumption of joint aerial exercises between the two countries in three years.
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Singapore Airlines was named the world’s best airline in the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards, ahead of Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific. The results underscore the importance of cabin comfort and service, while Cathay’s planned lie-flat business-class seats signal continued competition for premium passengers on Asian routes.
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes dismissed reports that Malaysia’s government was considering whether rival airlines could absorb part of the carrier’s domestic capacity, while rejecting concerns about AirAsia’s financial health and signaling that the airline intends to resume growth.
Japan’s SkyDrive and South Korea’s Verty have signed an MOU to assess commercial eVTOL services from 2028, including short-distance sightseeing and inter-city routes. The partnership will address the operational framework required for deployment, spanning flight operations, air traffic management and vertiport infrastructure.
Japan Airlines has agreed to buy carbon-removal credits from Climeworks Solutions in what both companies describe as the world’s first purchase agreement designed to meet ICAO’s CORSIA requirements. The portfolio will combine direct-air-capture and soil-based mitigation methods as airline interest in removals grows.
Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation has signed memorandums of understanding with Indian airlines covering 85 aircraft, marking a sizable prospective commercial aircraft commitment between the Russian manufacturer and India’s airline sector.
Japan’s ZIPAIR is considering adding service to the US East Coast as it continues to focus its international growth on Asia and the United States. President Yasuhiro Fukada said new long-haul routes would not necessarily depend on the arrival of the airline’s planned Boeing 787-9s.
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