Aviation Source
• Len Varley
SAS will resume nonstop Copenhagen–Mumbai service on Oct. 1, 2026, after an aborted June launch caused by unresolved regulatory authorization. The year-round route will operate five times weekly with a 266-seat Airbus A330, restoring SAS connectivity to India after a 17-year absence and reopening a cargo link to Scandinavia.
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SAS will resume nonstop Copenhagen–Mumbai service on Oct. 1, 2026, after an aborted June launch caused by unresolved regulatory authorization. The year-round route will operate five times weekly with a 266-seat Airbus A330, restoring SAS connectivity to India after a 17-year absence and reopening a cargo link to Scandinavia.
VinSpace, the recently formed space unit of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, has signed a launch contract with SpaceX for in-orbit demonstration satellites. The spacecraft are planned to fly on a 2027 Transporter rideshare mission, marking an early step in Vietnam’s emerging commercial space sector.
Alliance Aviation Services has named Steven Greenway, the former chief executive of Saudi Arabian carrier flyadeal, as its next CEO. Greenway will succeed Stewart Tully, who is leaving the Australian charter operator after roughly a decade, as Alliance refocuses on FIFO charter operations and adjusts its business model.
Air Astana has postponed the resumption of passenger flights from Almaty and Astana to Dubai until Sept. 30, 2026. The Kazakhstan flag carrier cited continued instability in the Persian Gulf region, extending the disruption to its Central Asia–Dubai network by a further month.
The U.S. Army and Mexico’s Army signed a declaration of intent allowing Mexico to procure UAS and counter-UAS systems through the Defense Department’s digital marketplace to combat organized crime. Separately, India signed a ₹1,943 crore contract with General Atomics to lease two MQ-9B SeaGuardian aircraft to the Navy for 30 months.
Shenzhen Airlines and Loong Air are evaluating the addition of COMAC C919s to their fleets, according to executive comments reported from an aviation forum in Guangzhou. Any future commitments would broaden the C919’s customer base among China’s major domestic carriers and strengthen its position in the Chinese market.
Vietjet plans to launch five new international routes, including three linking Vietnam and the Philippines, as it expands its presence in the Philippine market. The carrier’s latest network move is aimed at serving stronger tourism demand and increasing connectivity between the two Southeast Asian countries.
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The articles combine two separate U.S.-led initiatives: a Space Force space-domain-awareness payload launched aboard Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite 7, and the FAA’s $74.3 million initial task order to AT&T under its multibillion-dollar Enterprise Network Services modernization program.
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