ch-aviation
• Dirk Andrei Salcedo
Hunan Airlines has begun international operations, expanding beyond China’s domestic market. The move adds a new entrant to the country’s international airline landscape, although the available reporting does not specify the carrier’s initial destinations, aircraft deployment or planned pace of network growth.
Asia-Pacific (APAC)
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Hunan Airlines has begun international operations, expanding beyond China’s domestic market. The move adds a new entrant to the country’s international airline landscape, although the available reporting does not specify the carrier’s initial destinations, aircraft deployment or planned pace of network growth.
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HAECO has secured airframe, engine and landing-gear agreements with ANA, JAL and Garuda, while GMF AeroAsia will perform heavy maintenance on AirZeta’s Boeing 747s from 2027 through 2030. Separately, AAR has agreed to acquire a majority stake in MRO Holdings for $1.8 billion, according to sources.
Asia-Pacific airlines carried 33.5 million international passengers in August, down 0.6% year on year as higher fares, fuel costs and airspace restrictions weighed on demand. International cargo demand rose 1.1% during the month and 5.5% year to date, while global air cargo volumes increased 8% year on year.
High activity
Indian startup TakeMe2Space plans to launch its sub-50-kilogram MOI-1A satellite on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare mission on Oct. 1. Equipped with Nvidia Orin NX processors, the spacecraft is designed to run AI models in orbit and process Earth-observation data before transmission to ground stations.
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.
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