Reuters
• Andrius Sytas, Gianluca Lo Nostro
Latvia’s national airline airBaltic has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection in New York while maintaining normal flight operations. The carrier is seeking debtor-in-possession financing of up to €350 million, days after pursuing a €257 million emergency package carrying a 25% interest rate.
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Vietjet and Thales signed agreements in Paris covering aircraft maintenance, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity during Vietnam’s state visit to France. The deals broaden the relationship between the Vietnamese airline and the European aerospace and technology group across operational support and digital capabilities.
ESA’s FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites are preparing for Vega-C liftoff, while Airbus and Unseenlabs won France’s contract for next-generation SIGINT satellites. Separately, Cailabs is commercializing shared optical ground infrastructure and Satellogic plans to expand its Earth-observation constellation with three new spacecraft.
Flexjet has opened a 3,530-square-meter MRO hangar and a 2,098-square-meter fixed-base operator at Farnborough Airport in the UK. The approximately $34 million development marks the private aviation company’s first FBO in Europe and expands its support infrastructure at a major business aviation hub.
Finland has agreed to join France’s initiative to develop a European dimension for its nuclear deterrent following confidential government talks. The move opens discussions on joint exercises and possible temporary deployments of French strategic aircraft, extending Finland’s role in European deterrence planning.
European officials used an international space conference to advocate strengthening the continent’s independent space capabilities. The push reflects a broader effort to reduce reliance on external partners and build greater autonomy across Europe’s space sector, although the event summary provides no details on specific programs, funding or policy measures.
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Latvia’s national airline airBaltic has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection in New York while maintaining normal flight operations. The carrier is seeking debtor-in-possession financing of up to €350 million, days after pursuing a €257 million emergency package carrying a 25% interest rate.
Avio reported a 17.5% revenue increase and a 7.3% rise in adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30. Two-thirds of its newly added backlog came from solid rocket motors for defense applications, while the company said additional funding is needed to increase Ariane 6 and Vega launch cadence.
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Czech competition authorities have conditionally cleared Pegasus Airlines’ planned acquisition of Smartwings Group, which includes Czech Airlines, after the Turkish low-cost carrier agreed to surrender summer slots on the Prague–Antalya route. The approval follows Turkey’s authorization and removes a major regulatory hurdle to closing the €154 million deal.
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