FlightGlobal
• Kerry Reals
Saudi budget carrier Flyadeal has launched five weekly flights between Riyadh and Mumbai, making the city its second destination in India after Hyderabad. The A320neo service adds more than 7,400 seats a month as the airline calls India a strategic priority in its international expansion.
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Light attack aircraft and military vehicles have arrived at the China-Laos joint training facility, according to satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters. The facility was announced last Tuesday; the imagery documents equipment at the site but does not establish its operational status or the scope of the countries’ training activity.
Saudi budget carrier Flyadeal has launched five weekly flights between Riyadh and Mumbai, making the city its second destination in India after Hyderabad. The A320neo service adds more than 7,400 seats a month as the airline calls India a strategic priority in its international expansion.
Lockheed Martin is offering to modernize the Indian Air Force’s existing C-130J-30 fleet as part of its campaign for India’s Medium Transport Aircraft competition. The contest calls for 60 new transport aircraft, tying a potential fleet upgrade to the broader procurement effort.
Navi Mumbai International Airport is adding buses, taxis and airport shuttles, with services connecting Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune ahead of the 2026-27 winter schedule. Separately, airlines are disputing flight reductions tied to Mumbai airport Terminal 1’s planned redevelopment from January 2027, objecting to the proposed shift of international operations to Navi Mumbai.
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Launch coverage points to flights from SpaceX, South Korea and China, including a South Korean Earth-observation payload and a Chinese Long March 12 mission. Separately, SpaceX’s Transporter-18 carried Star Catcher’s orbital power-beaming prototype, while NASA and SpaceX targeted Crew-12’s return and NASA named the Crew-14 astronauts for a spring 2027 mission.
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IndiGo will raise fuel charges on new domestic and international bookings from Oct. 6, 2026, after aviation turbine fuel prices rose more than 13% since the start of the month. The airline says it is its third increase this year, reflecting sustained pressure from higher fuel costs.
Air Astana plans to begin direct flights between Almaty and Tokyo Narita toward the end of the year, marking its first service to Japan. Japan Airlines will codeshare on the route, extending its reach through the new connection.
A Chinese military aircraft, identified as a Shenyang J-16, conducted what Manila described as a dangerous intercept of a Philippine aircraft, identified in the report’s headline as a Grand Caravan. The Philippines condemned the conduct of the Chinese aircrew; the article provides no further details on the encounter.
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