Daily Aviation Brief

Riyadh Air, Saudia Launch First Phase Of Codeshare Partnership Riyadh Air and Saudia have begun rolling out the first phase of a strategic cooperation agreement, marking a step toward closer integration of Saudi Arabia’s aviation sector. peri.meyers@in… Fri, 08/28/2026 - 15:14 Author Ella Nethersole Content source Aviation Daily Primary Category Airlines & Lessors

Data Spotlight: NATO And U.S. Defense Spending Trends Aviation Week's Defense Market Analyzer shows the narrowing gap between NATO and U.S. defense spending as a percentage of GDP. peri.meyers@in… Fri, 08/28/2026 - 08:00 Author Craig Caffrey Content source Aviation Week & Space Technology Primary Category Budget, Policy & Operations

Two air traffic controllers at New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) face termination after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)… LaGuardia controllers face FAA firing for leaving early before fatal runway crash appeared first on AeroTime.

International Space Station Receives Altitude Boost Cygnus XL boosted the International Space Station’s orbit, positioning the station for Russia’s Progress 96 mission. hockensmithawi… Thu, 08/27/2026 - 20:27 Author Mark Carreau Content source Aerospace Daily & Defense Report Primary Category Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

While attention has focused on easyJet's likely acquisition by an investment firm, Apollo Global Management, another European airline M&A, the transaction has been making progress. The late Jul-2026 approval of Pegasus Airlines' planned acquisition of Smartwings Group by Türkiye's competition authority increases the likelihood that the deal will close. EU regulatory approvals are still required, but the combination of Europe's number nine and number 29 airline groups (by seats) is closer to becoming a reality. Pegasus has around four times the aircraft numbers of Smartwings, and nearly eight times its annual seat capacity. Unlike the easyJet deal, this one would be a genuine - if small - step towards the consolidation of the sector.

Qantas Airways will begin retiring its fleet of 10 Airbus A380 superjumbos from mid-2028, bringing forward the planned phase-out by four years as rising maintenance costs, supply-chain constraints and the availability of newer aircraft reshape the economics of the fleet. Qantas International and Freight CEO Cam Wallace told analysts that keeping the A380s in service […] The post Qantas to begin A380 retirements from 2028 as maintenance costs rise appeared first on MRO Business Today, Latest Aerospace News.