Civil Aviation

Abu Dhabi,4th August 2025: Etihad Airways has launched the first commercial flight of its all-new A321LR, defining luxury travel on a narrowbody aircraft. Flight EY414 departed Zayed International Airport for Phuket today, marking the introduction of an aircraft designed to deliver Etihad’s premium cabin standards on short and medium-haul sectors. Today’s inaugural flight introduces guests to Etihad’s latest cabin innovation, designed to deliver the same elevated service and attention to detail that defines its award-winning widebody experience, now available on a next-generation single-aisle aircraft. Last week Etihad took delivery of the first of 30 A321LR aircraft scheduled to join its fleet, each configured to provide elevated comfort, refined design and high-speed connectivity across all cabins. Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer at Etihad Airways, said: “The A321LR symbolises our ambition to deliver extraordinary experiences on every route we serve. It allows us to bring the sophistication of our widebody cabins, including our renowned First experience, to more destinations, and to more travellers, than ever before.”

Warsaw, 31st July 2025: Star Alliance member LOT Polish Airlines has received its first shipment of RECARO Aircraft Seating products, which will be installed on both its Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Airbus A220 aircraft. The initial set was manufactured at RECARO’s facility in Świebodzin and will be fitted into one of the thirteen Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft that are set to join the Polish carrier’s fleet by the end of 2026. In total, LOT will take delivery of about 14,000 modern, ergonomic seats – with passenger comfort as a top priority. The new RECARO R2 seats combine lightweight construction with advanced ergonomics and high functionality. Each seat features a dedicated 60W power outlet for fast charging of electronic devices, as well as a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) holder for easy use of a tablet or smartphone. For extra comfort, the seats are equipped with six-way adjustable headrests, extended armrests, contoured backrests with comfort-enhancing foam, and lightweight sliding tray tables. RECARO R2 seats stand out for their light weight – each seat weighs less than 10 kg – helping to reduce fuel consumption and lower CO₂ emissions. Their modular design facilitates easier maintenance and supports sustainable practices. These new seats will be installed on all new Boeing 737 MAX 8 and Airbus A220 aircraft as they join the LOT Polish Airlines fleet. The new seats are part of LOT Polish Airlines’ broader initiative to modernise its aircraft cabins. The interiors of the Boeing 737 MAX 8 fleet will be completely redesigned, drawing inspiration from LOT Polish Airlines’ Polonez business lounges in Warsaw and Chicago. The goal is to create a unified look across the entire fleet, aligning the new design with the cabin style of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners – which are also set for a comprehensive interior upgrade. This retrofit will take passenger comfort to an even higher level across all classes of service.

Astana, 31st July 2025: On 29th July 2025, Air Astana and China Southern Airlines signed a codeshare agreement, with cooperation on trunk routes between Kazakhstan and China providing travellers with more flight options. The codeshare agreement covers Air Astana routes operated from Almaty to Beijing Capital, Almaty to Urumqi and Almaty to Guangzhou, as well as Astana to Beijing. For China Southern Airlines, the codeshare covers routes operated on a regular basis from Beijing Daxing to Almaty, Guangzhou to Almaty, Urumqi to Almaty and Xian to Almaty, together with Guangzhou to Astana and Urumqi to Astana. Air Astana Group CEO Peter Foster remarked, “China has always been a strategically important market for Air Astana. Partnering with China Southern Airlines will boost trade, tourism and cultural links with China and open a new chapter in aviation cooperation between the two countries.” China Southern Airlines President and CEO Han Wensheng stated, “Codeshare cooperation with Air Astana will result in an increase in our service frequencies to Kazakhstan. It is not only a strategic move leveraging both airlines’ strengths but also a significant step in deepening Belt and Road aviation connectivity between China and Kazakhstan”.

Warsaw, 29th July 2025: Poland’s national airline and Vienna Airport are commemorating a long-standing and dynamic partnership. On July 29, 1955, LOT Polish Airlines resumed flight operations to Vienna, inaugurating a period of uninterrupted service on the Warsaw–Vienna route that endures to this day. Yet the roots of LOT’s presence in the Austrian capital reach even deeper—its inaugural aircraft touched down in Vienna as early as 1929, operating both non-stop and direct services from Katowice. Over the decades, this route has played a pivotal role in the airline’s development, serving as the launchpad for major fleet milestones, including the first Embraer 170 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner landings at Vienna Airport. About three million passengers have taken advantage of this flight connection over the last 30 years alone, namely since 1994. Today the 70th anniversary of flight service linking Warsaw and Vienna was commemorated within the context of a photo session featuring Amit Ray (Director DACH Markets, Italy, Malta, India & Head of Global Corporate & Strategic Sales), Olaf Krauss (Sales Manager Austria & Corporate Sales Italy), both for LOT Polish Airlines and Julian Jäger (joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport). “The Vienna–Warsaw connection has been a success story for 70 years. LOT Polish Airlines was one of the first international carriers at Vienna Airport and served as a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe. Today, this route is a key pillar of our network – strategically vital. Over the past three decades, three million passengers have flown this route, underscoring its unique blend of continuity and future potential”, states Julian Jäger, joint CEO and COO of Vienna Airport. “Our connection with Vienna dates back to 1929, when LOT’s first aircraft landed in the Austrian capital. Since the resumption of regular operations in 1955, we have developed this route not only through consistent air service, but also through a shared history, mutual trust, and a strong sense of European identity. It was on this very route that LOT introduced newest additions to its fleet – the Embraer 170 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner – underscoring its strategic importance within our network. Today, Warsaw and Vienna are more than just two Central European capitals; they are essential transit hubs at the heart of Europe” , adds Robert Ludera, Proxy and Director of Network Department at LOT Polish Airlines. A flight connection with many premieres: 70 years of flights on the Warsaw-Vienna route The Warsaw–Vienna flight connection is a well-established route in the airline’s network, but one of particular importance. In 2004, LOT Polish Airlines reached a global milestone by becoming the first airline in the world to operate the Embraer 170 on a commercial flight. The next premiere took place eight years later i.e., in the year 2012. LOT Polish Airlines was the first European airline to deploy the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Once again, it did so on the Warsaw-Vienna route. These pioneer achievements underline the airline’s innovative strength, and its close ties to Vienna Airport. The connection goes back even further, as LOT Polish Airlines already landed in 1929 at the former Aspern airfield in Vienna, well before today’s Vienna Airport was officially opened in 1954.

Dubai,25th July 2025: Emirates has announced the deployment of its newly refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft to/from Madrid starting from 16 September. The aircraft will have upgraded interiors and premium signature travel touches across all cabins. Madrid is Emirates’ first destination in Spain to operate with the airline’s next-generation interiors. Emirates’ four-class Boeing 777 will operate as flight EK143/EK144. Emirates flight EK143 will depart Dubai at 14:30hrs and arrive in Madrid at 20:20hrs local time. The return flight, EK144 will depart Madrid at 22:05hrs and arrive in Dubai at 7:10hrs local time, the following day. The deployment of Emirates’ retrofitted Boeing 777 to Madrid marks a new era of premium travel to the Spanish city – offering customers the airline’s award-winning Premium Economy service*, newly configured Business Class cabin, and a‘better’ travel experience to/from the country. Monika White, Emirates Country Manager in Spain, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Emirates’ retrofitted four-class Boeing 777 aircraft to Madrid – the first destination in Spain to receive the nose-to-tail refreshed aircraft. Spain has always been an integral part of the airline’s global network, and we look forward to showcasing the very best ‘fly better’ travel experiences to our customers.” Enhanced travel experience Emirates’ newest Boeing 777 cabin interiors will wow customers with its modern design details and signature cabin finishings, including: • A refurbished First-Class cabin with upgraded interiorsoffering unparalleled luxury. • New Business Class cabin that provides more privacy and comfort for customers with fully lie-flat seats in an updated 1-2-1 seating configuration. • Latest Premium Economy cabin which combines accessible luxury with comfort; offering cream leather seats, increased legroom, adjustable headrests, deeper seat recline and raised cushioned leg rests. • Spacious Economy Class seats with new design elements.

Abu Dhabi,25th July 2025: Etihad Airways has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321LR (long range) at the Airbus Finkenwerder site, marking a transformational step towards airline’s fleet expansion strategy. The aircraft brings Etihad’s signature widebody experience to short and medium-haul routes, with premium cabins typically found only on long-haul flights. This is the first of 30 A321LR aircraft scheduled to join Etihad’s fleet. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Today marks an extraordinary moment for Etihad as we welcome an aircraft that changes everything we thought possible on a single-aisle plane. The A321LR enables us to serve more destinations with the same premium experience our guests expect across all cabins, perfectly embodying our commitment to delivering luxury at every altitude.” Redefining Narrowbody Travel The A321LR features a three-cabin configuration, including Etihad’s first-ever narrowbody First Suites – private, enclosed spaces with sliding doors, fully-flat beds, and bespoke design touches normally reserved for long-haul widebody operations. Each window-facing First Suite features a large 20-inch 4K screen, Bluetooth pairing, wireless charging, and additional space for a companion to sit. The aircraft’s 14-seat Business cabin features widebody-style seats in a 1-1 herringbone layout, ensuring every passenger has direct aisle access and window views. Each Business seat includes a 17.3-inch 4K screen, Bluetooth headphone pairing and wireless charging. In Economy, 144 thoughtfully designed seats offer generous space and comfort, providing an elevated experience for single-aisle travel. Passengers enjoy 13.3-inch 4K touchscreen displays, USB charging, and Bluetooth connectivity. These seatback screens bring premium content back to narrowbody travel with over a thousand hours of movies, shows and games. cabin features enlarged overhead bins providing significantly more luggage space than traditional narrowbody aircraft. Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus Executive Vice President Sales of the Commercial Aircraft Business, commented: “The delivery of Etihad’s first Airbus A321LR is a powerful symbol of innovation and partnership, strengthening the long-standing relationship between Airbus and the UAE. This aircraft sets a new standard for comfort in the single-aisle category and paves the way for increased connectivity as Etihad expands its operations from its Abu Dhabi hub.” Staying Connected Above the Clouds A standout feature of Etihad’s A321LR is its high-speed Wi-Fi powered by Viasat’s advanced technology delivering speeds of up to 100’s of Mbps. Passengers can enjoy seamless streaming, gaming and browsing throughout their journey, bringing ground-level connectivity to the skies. This gate-to-gate connectivity, where permitted, ensures guests remain productive and entertained whether flying for business or leisure. Wi-Fi service on Asian routes is being progressively rolled out and will be available from September 2025. Expanding Horizons The A321LR supports Etihad’s extraordinary expansion momentum, with the airline having launched or announced 27 new routes in a single year as part of its ambitious growth strategy. The aircraft will enter commercial service on 1 August 2025, initially operating between Abu Dhabi and Phuket before serving destinations including Algiers, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Kolkata, Krabi, Krakow, Medan, Milan, Paris, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Tunis and Zurich. The A321LR delivery supports Etihad’s Journey 2030 vision, reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading global aviation hub. Additional nine A321LR aircraft will be delivered throughout 2025, supporting Etihad’s ambitious growth plans as the airline works towards carrying 38 million passengers annually by 2030.

Hindon, 20th July 2025: On Sunday, 20th July 2025, Delhi-NCRs second operational Airport at Hindon in Ghaziabad got nine new connections to different cities of India by IndiGo. The Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu officially launched the new flight routes of IndiGo from Hindon in the presence of various ministry and AAI officials alongwith IndiGo team. With the start of these new flights, IndiGo becomes the second airline, after Air India, to mark its presence in Hindon Airport.The Air India Express started its operations four months ago from this airport, which is primarily a defence turned civilian airport. Hindon Airport in NCR will now be connected to nine Indian cities—Bengaluru, Kolkata, Varanasi, Goa, Patna, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Indore—through IndiGo services. “This is an (Udan) success of, Hindon, Ghaziabad, western Uttar Pradesh, and entire country,this is an Udan of the ambitions and aspirations of common Indians,” the civil aviation minister said while addressing the media. He further added,” Airlines fleet, airports, terminal capacity, and flyers have doubled in India over the past decade.During 2024-2034, civil aviation in tier II and III cities will grow and we will have to unlock the potential. Hindon will serve as an example.” The nine airports to be connected by IndiGo are :Bengaluru, Kolkata, Varanasi, Goa, Patna, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Indore.At per the MoCA,the annual flyers from Hindon Airport was about 8,000 in 2019, which has risen to upwards of 80,000 now.

Montreal/Rome, 18th July 2025: Air Canada and ITA Airways has announced signing of a new codeshare agreement that provides customers more convenient travel options when flying between Canada and Italy, and beyond. “We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with ITA Airways through our new codeshare agreement that complements our robust network to Italy. This deepening of ties will allow customers travelling on Air Canada to Rome-Fiumicino to conveniently book and seamlessly connect to ten popular destinations across Italy, Africa, Israel and Albania. Likewise, ITA Airways customers arriving in Toronto will benefit from access to 10 key Canadian and U.S. cities across our network,” said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, and President, Cargo at Air Canada. “With work underway to facilitate ITA Airways’ entry into Star Alliance, we are developing significant partnership synergies. This will form the foundation for a strong, long-term relationship between our two flag-carrying airlines.” “The codeshare agreement with Air Canada is a great step forward for our growth strategy,” said Joerg Eberhart, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of ITA Airways. “This partnership improves connectivity for our passengers traveling between Italy and North America, our first market beyond Italy, serving both leisure and business travelers. Moreover, it enables us to offer seamless connections for passengers of Italian origin residing in Canada and the United States, facilitating their journeys to Italy and beyond, while providing them the opportunity to fully experience the excellence of Made in Italy — a heritage that ITA Airways proudly represents as an ambassador worldwide.” Under the agreement, Air Canada will place its AC code on select routes operated by ITA Airways from Rome-Fiumicino. These include five popular destinations in Italy: Lamezia Terme, Palermo, Catania, Florence and Bari; three points in Africa, including Cairo, and Tunis and Algiers; as well as Tirana and Tel Aviv (the latter temporarily suspended). ITA Airways will place its AZ code on selected routes operated by Air Canada from Toronto Pearson, these include: Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary and St. John’s; and selected services from Canada to the United States: Boston, Orlando, Dallas, and Fort Lauderdale.

Delhi,18 July 2025: Qatar Airways marks a landmark double anniversary in India this year with 20 years of operations to Delhi on 14 July 2025, and 30 years to Kolkata on 31 October 2025. These milestones highlight the airline’s unwavering commitment to one of its most strategically important and culturally rich markets. Qatar Airways started its operation in India in 1994 with Mumbai as its first Indian gateway, and has since grown to an extensive network of 13 Indian cities, with Kolkata joining the network in 1995, and Delhi in 2005. The airline currently operates 100 weekly flights across 13 Indian cities, including 14 flights per week from Delhi and seven flights per week from Kolkata. This robust schedule ensures seamless travel for business and leisure passengers alike, with extensive connectivity to Europe, the UK, Africa, the Americas, and the Middle East via the award-winning Hamad International Airport in Doha. In the last fiscal year 2024/25 alone, Qatar Airways flew over 2.4 million passengers in and out of India. Notably during the COVID-19 global pandemic, Qatar Airways operated throughout the entire pandemic period to provide connectivity, and safely flew over 1.8 million passengers in and out of India between April 2020 to March 2022 in aid of global repatriation efforts. Qatar Airways Cargo contributes significantly to India’s import, export and trade industry, with a weekly cargo capacity of 2990 tonnes into India and 2990 tonnes out of India, operating 120 flights each week, out of which 20 flights are Boeing 777 freighters. “We are incredibly proud to celebrate these two significant anniversaries in India,” said Mr Karthik Viswanathan, Qatar Airways Vice President of Sales, Middle East, Caucasus, Pakistan & the Indian Sub-Continent. “Since serving the Indian market with our inaugural in 1994, we’ve built strong bonds with our Indian passengers, partners, and stakeholders—relationships that are rooted in service excellence, trust, and a shared vision of global connectivity. India continues to be a cornerstone of our global network, and we look forward to many more years of shared success.”

Delhi,16th July 2025: IndiGo customers will have access to 14 Jetstar Airways destinations across Australia and New Zealand as part of a new codeshare agreement between the two airlines.The agreement simplifies travel for customers of India’s largest airline by allowing them to create a single booking for journeys from India to Australia and New Zealand across IndiGo and Jetstar flights. Placing IndiGo’s code on Jetstar operated routes will enable convenient connections to Jetstar flights departing Singapore, Bangkok and Phuket for onward travel to cities including Sydney, the Gold Coast and Auckland. Jetstar bookings can be made at IndiGo’s website from Monday, 21 July 2025 for travel from Monday, 1 September 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. Jetstar CEO, Stephanie Tully said the partnership between the two airlines will significantly boost inbound tourism from India.“Australia and New Zealand’s unique attractions, world-class experiences and growing communities of Indian expats make both countries incredibly popular for travellers from the subcontinent. “This new codeshare agreement will provide IndiGo customers with convenient access to our extensive network allowing them to take off more for less down under.” Abhijit Dasgupta, Senior Vice President – Network Planning & Revenue Management, IndiGo said: “We are pleased to expand the horizons and offer our customers convenient connections from India to Australia and New Zealand. “This codeshare agreement with Jetstar will further strengthen business, trade and tourism related travel between the countries while fostering cultural exchanges. “This expansion is a part of IndiGo’s Internationalization strategy and commitment to delivering affordable, on-time, courteous, and hassle-free travel experience across our unparalleled network.”