FlightGlobal
• Alfred Chua
Global air cargo tonnages rose 8% year on year in mid-September, with Asia-Pacific demand driving growth ahead of China’s holiday period. In contrast, the region’s airlines carried 33.5 million international passengers in August, down 0.6% from a year earlier, underscoring an uneven but broadly positive outlook.
Asia-Pacific (APAC)
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Global air cargo tonnages rose 8% year on year in mid-September, with Asia-Pacific demand driving growth ahead of China’s holiday period. In contrast, the region’s airlines carried 33.5 million international passengers in August, down 0.6% from a year earlier, underscoring an uneven but broadly positive outlook.
Two Pakistani pilots are undergoing Mandarin study, centrifuge training and simulated weightlessness as China nears a decision on which will become the first Pakistani astronaut to visit Tiangong. The mission would deepen China-Pakistan space cooperation and extend Beijing’s international astronaut program.
South Korea has inducted its first locally developed fighter jet into service, marking a milestone for the country’s domestic defense industry. The move underscores Seoul’s progress in developing and fielding indigenous combat aircraft for its air force.
Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch Strix, a radar-imaging satellite for Japanese company Synspective, on the “Owlright, Owlright, Owlright” mission on Sept. 25. The flight will support Synspective’s imaging constellation and marks another commercial deployment serving Japan’s growing space-data market.
Embraer has delivered the first of two C-390 Millennium transports ordered by Uzbekistan, making it the type’s first Central Asian operator. In parallel, the airframer is again positioning the aircraft for the U.S. Air Force as a flexible multi-mission airlift and tanker supplement to Boeing’s KC-46.
High activity
China Airlines selected Safran to overhaul landing gear on its 18 Airbus A350-900s from 2026 through 2031, while Japan Airlines renewed Boeing 787 component support with Lufthansa Technik. Hebei Airlines and FTAI Aviation also advanced CFM56 maintenance arrangements and regional service capacity.
The U.S. is expanding operational testing of uncrewed combat aircraft, accelerating B-21 Raider flight testing and production, and integrating F-35s into a multinational Indian exercise. The developments underscore parallel efforts to field collaborative combat aircraft while strengthening interoperability with allies and partner forces.
Pakistan International Airlines’ board has reportedly greenlit leases for Boeing 787 aircraft, according to a ch-aviation report. The decision points to a potential widebody fleet move for the carrier, although the report does not specify the number of aircraft, lessors, lease terms or delivery timeline.
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