FlightGlobal
• Graham Dunn
Wizz Air is positioning operational efficiencies as a source of upside while it works through the final phase of a period of high capacity growth. The Central European budget carrier acknowledges short-term capacity pain but expects the benefits of that expansion to emerge over time.
Europe
Latest source-backed stories
Wizz Air is positioning operational efficiencies as a source of upside while it works through the final phase of a period of high capacity growth. The Central European budget carrier acknowledges short-term capacity pain but expects the benefits of that expansion to emerge over time.
Boeing and Rheinmetall are proposing Australia-developed MQ-28 Ghost Bat as an interim platform for Germany’s Collaborative Combat Aircraft effort, arguing the unmanned aircraft could help the Luftwaffe develop operational concepts and capabilities by 2029—years before a dedicated European system becomes available.
India has begun efforts to join France’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS), following the collapse of the French-German partnership behind the sixth-generation fighter program. The move could reshape FCAS participation and deepen defense-industrial ties between India and France as Paris reassesses the program’s international partnerships.
ITA Airways reported a positive EBIT of €37 million for April-June, while currency-exchange effects produced an accounting-related net loss. The result highlights an operating profit at the Italian carrier before non-operating currency impacts affected its quarterly bottom line.
High activity
EnduroSat is partnering with the Bulgarian government to redevelop Dobroslavtsi, a former military airbase, into a space and defense development center. The project is positioned as a new hub for space-sector activity in Europe, linking Bulgaria’s former military infrastructure with emerging commercial space capabilities.
France’s CNES has secured multi-year access to Altair, a 10-satellite Earth-observation constellation being developed and manufactured by UAE-based Orbitworks. The agreement gives the French space agency access to an AI-enabled commercial constellation while expanding Orbitworks’ institutional customer base.
Draft German legislation implementing the EU’s ReFuelEU Aviation regulation would fine airlines €1,332 ($1,535) per metric ton for excessive fuel tankering and failures to meet mandatory sustainable aviation fuel blending quotas. The measures would add direct financial consequences to airlines’ fuel procurement and compliance decisions.
High activity
Eutelsat will lead development and operations of IRIS²’s low-Earth-orbit constellation after the program’s first rendez-vous, committing €3.39 billion to the European initiative. The multi-orbit system is expected to provide additional capacity and enhanced technical performance, with capacity revenue estimated above €10 billion through 2040.
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