Bloomberg
• Kate Duffy
A technical problem at the UK’s air navigation service provider NATS grounded more than 1,000 flights, disrupted Heathrow, Gatwick and other airports, and diverted at least two Airbus A380s to Germany. The outage continued into a second day, affecting tens of thousands of travelers and testing network resilience.
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Spain’s Volotea is restructuring its finances in an effort to avoid dissolution, placing the airline’s corporate and operating continuity at the center of the process. The move highlights financial pressure on the European carrier, though the available report provides no details on creditors, funding or timetable.
Germany’s first Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II has completed its maiden flight from the company’s Fort Worth facilities. The milestone advances Berlin’s 35-aircraft program toward initial delivery and U.S.-based Luftwaffe crew training, as the stealth fighter prepares to replace the Tornado in strike and nuclear-deterrence missions.
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A technical problem at the UK’s air navigation service provider NATS grounded more than 1,000 flights, disrupted Heathrow, Gatwick and other airports, and diverted at least two Airbus A380s to Germany. The outage continued into a second day, affecting tens of thousands of travelers and testing network resilience.
The French government will host a high-level international space conference aimed at building consensus on key issues while strengthening Europe’s position in the space sector. The summit will bring together international stakeholders around shared priorities for space cooperation and governance.
Europe’s future combat-aircraft landscape is taking shape around competing paths: the Franco-German-Spanish FCAS program, the UK-Italy-Japan GCAP effort and continued investment in upgraded Eurofighter Typhoons. A Breaking Defense roundtable examines the options, offering a concise guide to the programs and strategic choices ahead.
Air China Cargo began dedicated Urumqi–Liège service on September 3, 2026, using A330-200 freighter B-6113. The inaugural flight carried 53 tonnes of cargo and represents the carrier’s first dedicated cargo operation from Urumqi, adding a new China–Europe air freight connection.
The Exploration Company raised $450 million in a Series C to develop reusable spacecraft, bringing its total funding to about $680 million. Separately, France’s Kepplair Evolution secured €6 million for an ATR 72-based firefighting aircraft, while Viraj Aero raised €4.5 million for steam-injection propulsion technology.
The Italian Air Force has ordered two MQ-9A Block 5 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft from General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, adding to Rome’s existing Reaper fleet. The aircraft come from GA-ASI’s remaining inventory of previously unsold “white tails,” extending more than two decades of Italy-U.S. cooperation.
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