KLM Cityhopper is celebrating its 60th anniversary, having developed from a small domestic carrier into a central component of KLM’s European network and Amsterdam Schiphol’s hub operation. The airline began in 1966 as Nederlandse Luchtvaart Maatschappij (NLM), operating two leased Fokker aircraft on domestic routes. The Cityhopper name appeared in 1976, before mergers with NetherLines […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban11 Sept
TUI Airways flight BY6312 from Cardiff to Paphos (Boeing 737-800 registered G-FDZR) made an emergency return shortly after take-off on Wednesday, 9 September, after encountering a flock of birds. Video recorded by passengers showed flames coming from the engine beneath the aircraft’s right wing. One passenger also reported smelling burning inside the cabin. The aircraft […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban11 Sept
Wizz Air is progressively restoring services to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah and Amman for the 2026/27 winter season, offering 12 routes and 49 weekly flights from nine European cities. Flights to Jeddah from Milan and Rome resumed in early September, while the Budapest–Amman route restarts on 22 September. Services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi will […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban11 Sept
Germany and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to revitalise their strategic partnership following talks in Berlin between Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The cooperation will cover security, defence, trade, energy, climate, technology, digitalisation and transport. The UAE plans to invest an additional €40 billion in Germany, more […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban11 Sept
Airbus Defence and Space has signed an initial contract to design and manufacture satellites for the first low-Earth-orbit layer of the European Union’s IRIS² secure-connectivity constellation. Eutelsat, which leads the LEO segment within the SpaceRISE consortium, has authorised Airbus and Thales Alenia Space to begin work. The initial layer will comprise at least 66 satellites, […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
Transavia is expanding its summer 2027 network with new and returning routes from Amsterdam and Brussels. From Amsterdam Schiphol, the airline will add Murcia and Pula, restore flights to Reus and transfer its Trieste service from Rotterdam. Pula will continue to be served from Rotterdam as well. From Brussels Airport, Transavia will add Heraklion, Thessaloniki […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
BOC Aviation has agreed to purchase 12 Airbus A320neo aircraft for long-term lease to Avianca, with deliveries scheduled for 2029. All 12 aircraft will be powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines. The transaction expands the lessor’s existing relationship with the Colombian carrier and provides pre-delivery payment financing as Airbus increases production. Avianca parent company Abra […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
European Sleeper has launched a new overnight rail service between Brussels and Milan, operating three times weekly in each direction. Trains leave Brussels at 19:10 and arrive in Milan at 11:40 the following morning. Northbound services depart Milan at approximately 16:45 and reach Brussels shortly before noon. Initial stops include Verviers, Cologne, Aarau, Lugano and […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
Eurowings and Lufthansa Aviation Training have opened their first joint crew training centre near Düsseldorf Airport, the airline’s largest operating base. The 2,000-square-metre facility provides safety and service training for cockpit and cabin crews and can accommodate up to 150 trainees daily. Lufthansa Aviation Training operates the centre on behalf of Eurowings. Equipment includes a […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
Qatar Airways will serve more than 170 destinations during the 2026/27 winter season, operating nearly 1,800 weekly flights through its Doha hub by December. The airline will resume daily services to Zanzibar on 25 October and Canberra via Melbourne on 9 December. Melbourne will increase from seven to 14 weekly flights, while partner Virgin Australia […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
US military personnel accidentally activated an emergency evacuation slide on the Boeing 747-8 used as Air Force One shortly before President Donald Trump was due to fly to Dallas on Wednesday. Trump remained aboard the Marine One helicopter for several minutes while officials inspected and reset the slide. He subsequently boarded the aircraft, saying there […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
The French Aeronautical Maintenance Directorate has ordered four additional U050 Capa-X systems from Airbus Helicopters following successful trials of an initial system acquired in late 2025. Each system comprises two unmanned aircraft, bringing the new order to eight drones. Two systems will be allocated to the French Navy and two to the French Army under […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
Brussels Airport welcomed an unusual Aer Lingus widebody on Wednesday, 9 September, when the Irish carrier deployed an Airbus A330-300 on its morning service between Dublin and the Belgian capital. The long-haul aircraft operated the Dublin–Brussels rotation and returned to Ireland as flight EI631. It left Brussels at 11:39 and arrived in Dublin at 11:50 […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
Eutelsat has ordered another 229 OneWeb satellites from Airbus Defence and Space to reinforce and renew its low-Earth-orbit connectivity constellation. The Authorisation to Proceed covers initial industrial work and supplements a previous procurement of 440 satellites, taking the total number of new-generation OneWeb spacecraft to be produced by Airbus to 669. Manufacturing will take place […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
A Belgian-Luxembourgish crew escaped injury after their Aerospool WT9 Dynamic light aircraft, registered F-JIGU, suffered a complete engine failure over the Black Sea on Wednesday. The aircraft was flying under visual flight rules from Batumi, Georgia, to Ordu-Giresun, Turkey, as part of the Private Pilot Expedition to Georgia 2026. The failure occurred at an altitude […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban10 Sept
Air Dolomiti will introduce a revised livery replacing its traditional turquoise tail and fuselage titles with Lufthansa Group’s Core Blue. The change is intended to emphasise the Italian airline’s status as a wholly owned Lufthansa Group subsidiary and follows the introduction of new cabin-crew uniforms. The first aircraft to receive the colours is the fourth […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban9 Sept
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s flight from Chisinau, Moldova, to Oslo was delayed on Tuesday evening after drones were detected in Moldovan airspace around the planned departure time. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre initially said Zelenskyy’s aircraft (an Airbus A319-115X CJ registered UR-ABA) had “nearly been hit”, but the Norwegian Prime Minister’s Office later clarified […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban9 Sept
American Airlines and the CR Smith Museum are donating and lending an extensive collection of 9/11 artefacts to national memorial institutions as the United States prepares to mark 25 years since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. Other aviation organisations are also planning ceremonies and educational initiatives honouring the passengers and crews of the […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban9 Sept
Around 188 passengers remain stranded in Varna, Bulgaria, after a passenger bus collided with a TUI fly Belgium Boeing 737 MAX 8 on Tuesday, 8 September. The aircraft, believed to be OO-TMT, had operated from Brussels to Burgas before continuing to Varna as flight TB2861. The aircraft arrived safely in Varna, but while passengers were […]
Aviation24.be•Bart Noëth9 Sept
Air Cairo will launch three weekly flights to Brussels Airport from 18 December 2026, adding new capacity between Belgium and Egypt alongside the existing EgyptAir service. The programme includes two weekly Cairo–Brussels return flights and a third triangular operation linking Cairo, Brussels and Luxor. The two regular Cairo rotations will operate on Thursdays and Fridays […]
Aviation24.be•André Orban9 Sept