FlightGlobal
• David Kaminski-Morrow
IndiGo will terminate its damp-lease agreement with Norse Atlantic by late October or November 2026, ending Boeing 787 service and suspending London Heathrow flights until Airbus A350-900s arrive. Mumbai–Amsterdam will shift to A321XLRs, while Norse plans to redeploy the recovered aircraft as it considers a sale or merger.
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IndiGo will terminate its damp-lease agreement with Norse Atlantic by late October or November 2026, ending Boeing 787 service and suspending London Heathrow flights until Airbus A350-900s arrive. Mumbai–Amsterdam will shift to A321XLRs, while Norse plans to redeploy the recovered aircraft as it considers a sale or merger.
Epic Aircraft has secured EASA type certification for its E1000 AX, a single-engine turboprop designed to carry up to six passengers. The approval clears a key regulatory hurdle for the Bend, Oregon-based manufacturer as it seeks to expand the aircraft’s availability in the European market.
Spain has offered up to €1 billion in financial support to persuade the Thirty Meter Telescope project to relocate from its planned site in Hawaii to La Palma in the Canary Islands. The proposal adds a major financial incentive to the long-running contest over where the observatory will be built.
Avincis has surpassed 9,200 firefighting flight hours across Spain, Portugal and Italy, representing an increase of nearly 90% compared with the same period last year. The figures highlight a sharp rise in demand for aerial firefighting capacity across southern Europe.
Edi Wolfensberger will become CEO of Swiss leisure carrier Edelweiss on Oct. 1, 2026, succeeding Bernd Bauer after 12 years in the role. Michael Kirchner will take over as chief executive of Lufthansa City Airlines, as Lufthansa Group also makes a leadership change at Eurowings.
France has deployed an Airbus A400M against Gironde wildfires, using a rapidly developed cargo-bay firefighting kit to drop up to 22 tonnes of retardant. The operation highlights the Atlas’s multi-mission potential, while related Spanish reporting points to a broader push toward more capable, multidomain air and space forces.
Turkish Aerospace Industries has begun powered taxi trials of the KAAN P1, the first fully representative prototype of Turkey’s fifth-generation combat aircraft. The milestone advances the program toward multiple flying prototypes and planned production deliveries in 2028, positioning KAAN as a prospective alternative to the F-35.
Croatia Airlines has taken delivery of its 10th Airbus A220, featuring the carrier’s Star Alliance livery and claimed as the first A220 to carry the alliance’s colors. The arrival advances the Croatian flag carrier’s fleet modernization and ongoing transition toward newer-generation twinjets.
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