Aviation Week
• Helen Massy-Beresford
TUI Group reported lower third-quarter revenue and profitability as the Iran war weighed on customer behavior, increased fuel costs and stranded cruise ships. Despite the pressure, the German travel group said airline and market bookings improved, with resilient demand for summer travel.
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Space42 has signed a new sovereign national-security agreement with Leonardo DRS aimed at strengthening security across the United Arab Emirates. The deal brings the two companies together on a UAE-focused security effort, although the announcement does not disclose the program’s scope, value or delivery timeline.
TUI Group reported lower third-quarter revenue and profitability as the Iran war weighed on customer behavior, increased fuel costs and stranded cruise ships. Despite the pressure, the German travel group said airline and market bookings improved, with resilient demand for summer travel.
Turkish Airlines expects European Commission approval by the end of 2026 for its planned investment in Air Europa, while Korean Air and Asiana shareholders have approved a merger targeted to launch on Dec. 17, 2026. Separately, higher fuel costs sharply reduced second-quarter profits at Turkish and Thai Airways.
More than 20 U.S. warships, including two carrier groups, remain deployed in the Middle East with less than a week before negotiations under a U.S.-Iran memorandum. The concentration of naval forces underscores the region’s heightened strategic sensitivity as diplomatic discussions approach.
A U.S. military helicopter fired at the rudder of a Panama-flagged vessel after its crew ignored warnings from personnel enforcing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a U.S. official. The incident marks a direct use of force in enforcing the maritime restriction.
Kuwaiti low-cost carrier Jazeera Airways posted a net profit for the first half of the year, reversing losses tied to Middle East disruption. A stronger second quarter drove the recovery, underscoring the airline’s resilience amid continued regional operating pressures.
Turkish Airlines increased international passenger traffic in the first half despite an initial demand shock following the Iran conflict. The carrier is nevertheless keeping capacity growth constrained as markets recover, signaling continued caution in network planning amid geopolitical volatility.
The U.S. Treasury Department has removed Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and two of its Boeing 737s from counterterrorism sanctions, ending restrictions imposed two years ago. The action restores the airline and the aircraft to a less constrained position under the U.S. sanctions regime.
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