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Airline Economics • Justin Pugsley

Ryanair posts 5% y/y passenger growth to 19.3M in April 2026, holding a 93% load factor

Ryanair carried 19.3 million passengers in April 2026, a 5% year-on-year increase, and maintained a 93% load factor. The carrier’s results underscore continued demand and seat-occupancy strength heading into the summer network build-out.

2026-05-05T02:32:39.856454-07:00

Via Satellite

Swissto12 signs German partnership to add D2D broadcast/media capabilities to GEO satellites

2026-05-05T16:18:38.395986-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Eycore launches Eycore-1 SAR Earth-observation satellite on SpaceX CAS500-2 with NanoAvionics-built payload buses

2026-05-05T10:53:13.855899-07:00

European Spaceflight

ESA awards Thales Alenia Space €26.1M Phase 1 contract for LISA telescopes

2026-05-05T08:34:37.409747-07:00

News Timeline

Via Satellite

Swissto12 signs German partnership to add D2D broadcast/media capabilities to GEO satellites Swissto12 has struck a new partnership in Germany aimed at bringing expanded media broadcast capabilities to geostationary (GEO) satellites. The deal underscores the company’s push to broaden the payload and services tied to its small-GEO platform as D2D use cases scale.

2026-05-05T16:18:38.395986-07:00

Swissto12 signs German partnership to add D2D broadcast/media capabilities to GEO satellites

SpaceNews.com

Eycore launches Eycore-1 SAR Earth-observation satellite on SpaceX CAS500-2 with NanoAvionics-built payload buses Polish space company Eycore placed its first SAR Earth-observation satellite, Eycore-1, into orbit, leveraging the firm’s synthetic aperture radar technology. The launch also carried additional LEO smallsat payloads on SpaceX’s CAS500-2 mission, including three satellites using NanoAvionics satellite buses.

2026-05-05T10:53:13.855899-07:00

Eycore launches Eycore-1 SAR Earth-observation satellite on SpaceX CAS500-2 with NanoAvionics-built payload buses

ch-aviation

Ryanair, Jet2 and easyJet UK push to suspend EU Entry/Exit System (EES) after multi-hour border queues Ryanair, Jet2 (UK) and easyJet UK are calling for a relaxation of the EU’s Entry/Exit System, saying passengers are facing wait times of up to four hours at airport border controls as the new process beds in. The carriers argue the operational impact is severe enough to warrant immediate change.

2026-05-05T09:09:10.936633-07:00

Ryanair, Jet2 and easyJet UK push to suspend EU Entry/Exit System (EES) after multi-hour border queues

European Spaceflight

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ESA awards Thales Alenia Space €26.1M Phase 1 contract for LISA telescopes Thales Alenia Space (Thales 67% / Leonardo 33%) has signed a €26.1 million Phase 1 contract with the European Space Agency to develop the six optical telescopes for the LISA gravitational-wave observatory. The work supports the mission’s planned detection of gravitational waves via a space-based laser interferometer.

2026-05-05T08:34:37.409747-07:00

ESA awards Thales Alenia Space €26.1M Phase 1 contract for LISA telescopes

SpaceNews.com

Ireland joins NASA’s Artemis Accords as 66th signatory, pledging peaceful lunar exploration Ireland signed NASA’s Artemis Accords during a signing ceremony hosted by NASA, becoming the 66th country to commit to responsible exploration and use of outer space. The U.S. Department of State publicly welcomed the addition as part of a growing, nation-by-nation framework for peaceful lunar cooperation.

2026-05-05T04:26:49.100609-07:00

Ireland joins NASA’s Artemis Accords as 66th signatory, pledging peaceful lunar exploration

DefenseNews.com

Germany presses Airbus for a precise fix plan to unblock repeated A400M delivery delays Germany has urged Airbus to provide a specific, detailed plan to resolve persistent issues that have repeatedly pushed back deliveries of its new military transporter, the A400M. The move signals heightened pressure on Airbus to stabilize the programme’s schedule and address root causes of the setbacks.

2026-05-05T04:24:14.425578-07:00

Germany presses Airbus for a precise fix plan to unblock repeated A400M delivery delays

DefenseNews.com

MBDA wins UK MoD deal to develop a medium-range strike missile for future F-35 force MBDA has secured a UK Ministry of Defence contract to develop a medium-range strike weapon intended for its upcoming F-35 aircraft fleet. The deal extends MBDA’s role in arming UK stealth jets with a longer-range precision capability, aligning with ongoing UK investment in long-range effects.

2026-05-05T04:24:07.499374-07:00

MBDA wins UK MoD deal to develop a medium-range strike missile for future F-35 force

AeroTime

French armed forces’ US dependency risk highlighted as 20 years of budget cuts force reliance on US ISR and carrier catapult cap A new French parliamentary report argues that two decades of defense budget restraint have left France leaning on US aerospace for core capabilities spanning drones (including MQ-9 Reaper), early warning (E-2 Hawkeye), and aircraft carrier launch systems (EMALS). It maps capability gaps and sovereignty shortfalls that policy makers can’t close with mere “requirements” language.

2026-05-05T04:01:26.965776-07:00

French armed forces’ US dependency risk highlighted as 20 years of budget cuts force reliance on US ISR and carrier catapult cap

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Europe News

Ryanair posts 5% y/y passenger growth to 19.3M in April 2026, holding a 93% load factor

Swissto12 signs German partnership to add D2D broadcast/media capabilities to GEO satellites

Eycore launches Eycore-1 SAR Earth-observation satellite on SpaceX CAS500-2 with NanoAvionics-built payload buses

ESA awards Thales Alenia Space €26.1M Phase 1 contract for LISA telescopes

News Timeline