AeroTime
• Stephen Pope
Ryanair lowered its passenger target for the fiscal year ending March 2027 to 214 million from 216 million and plans to keep winter capacity broadly flat as jet fuel prices rise. The airline warned that less-hedged European competitors could struggle to survive the coming winter.
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Ryanair lowered its passenger target for the fiscal year ending March 2027 to 214 million from 216 million and plans to keep winter capacity broadly flat as jet fuel prices rise. The airline warned that less-hedged European competitors could struggle to survive the coming winter.
German officials say Russia was behind an explosive-laden drone discovered near a German airport runway last month. The European Union’s chief described the alleged plot as bearing the “hallmarks of state-sponsored terrorism,” elevating the incident from an airport security breach to a wider geopolitical concern.
The European-Japanese BepiColombo mission is set to begin its extended arrival phase at Mercury on Sept. 3, marking a major milestone in the spacecraft’s journey to the innermost planet. The event will be broadcast live, offering visibility into the mission’s next critical stage.
French and German associations representing NewSpace companies are asking the European Commission to provide a clear assessment of European government launch demand in the coming years. The groups say greater visibility is needed to stimulate both government support and private investment in European launchers.
Open Cosmos has secured a position on the UK Ministry of Defence’s £8 billion Tactical Communications framework, supporting the government’s effort to build more sovereign satellite connectivity architecture. The award places the company among suppliers eligible to provide communications capabilities for UK defense operations.
European space executives are calling for policy changes to build a stronger and more profitable industrial base, while Airbus Defence and Space is partnering with Axelspace to broaden access to Earth-observation imagery. Separately, York Space Systems introduced a standardized smallsat platform designed for sustained very-low-Earth-orbit operations.
High activity
AirAsia and Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines have launched a codeshare covering the Kuala Lumpur–Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen route, initially connecting AirAsia’s Southeast Asian network with five European destinations. AirAsia also plans to increase service to Istanbul from 2027, expanding the partnership’s potential reach.
Luxembourg’s Luxair plans to invest more than €1 billion ($1.2 billion) to replace its entire fleet by the mid-2030s, excluding aircraft already newly delivered. The renewal will center on Boeing’s 737 MAX family, marking a long-term commitment to the narrowbody platform as the airline reshapes its fleet.
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