Paddle Your Own Kanoo
• Mateusz Maszczynski
Taiwan’s two biggest international airlines resumed flights through Russian airspace over the weekend, their first use of the routes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The reported explanation may be linked to the “One China” policy, though the article summary does not specify the airlines or detail the policy connection.
Asia-Pacific (APAC)
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Taiwan’s two biggest international airlines resumed flights through Russian airspace over the weekend, their first use of the routes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The reported explanation may be linked to the “One China” policy, though the article summary does not specify the airlines or detail the policy connection.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed to deepen strategic cooperation in areas including AI and critical minerals during a meeting in Tokyo. Merz expressed interest in joining the three-country fighter development program, while Takaichi raised concerns over Japanese EVs being excluded from preferential treatment in Europe.
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Images circulating on social media appear to show a COMAC CE-25A electric aircraft demonstrator at an airfield. The sparse information available offers no confirmation of the aircraft’s status, capabilities or intended role, leaving the photographs as the only reported evidence of the project.
Japanese regulators expect flights between mainland China and Japan to decline sharply in the Northern Winter season. Frequencies for the week of Oct. 25-31 are down 49% year on year, while Southeast Asia, South Korea and India are emerging as growth markets for Japanese airports.
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Pakistan has denied entry to airlines from Taiwan, saying the move supports Beijing’s One-China policy. The decision is the first reported instance of a country shutting its airspace to Taiwan carriers, linking airline access directly to diplomatic recognition and cross-strait politics.
Australia expects to issue a request for proposals for the LAND 6504 program in early 2027 and select a winning platform later that year. The schedule sets a near-term milestone for a competition intended to strengthen the country’s air defenses.
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Singapore Airlines has agreed to buy 4,800 metric tons of sustainable aviation fuel from Aether Fuels’ Project Beacon facility in Singapore, with supply set to begin in 2028. The three-year deal is the project’s first airline agreement and covers fuel made from industrial waste gases using Fischer-Tropsch technology.
Air China began scheduled flights on Oct. 26, 2026, linking Beijing Capital with Reykjavik Keflavik via Copenhagen. The service gives Keflavik its first scheduled connection to mainland China and uses fifth-freedom traffic rights on the Copenhagen–Reykjavik sector.
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