Recent News

Singapore, 22 January 2026: ST Engineering’s Commercial Aerospace business announced the expansion of its longstanding partnership with LOT Polish Airlines, securing a five-year nacelle maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) agreement to support the airline’s 15-strong Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. This exclusive agreement not only extends ST Engineering’s nacelle MRO support for LOT Polish Airlines’ 787s, but also strengthens the collaboration with the introduction of a structured refurbishment programme that embeds predictive maintenance methodologies into nacelle lifecycle management. The structured refurbishment programme will shift nacelle lifecycle management for LOT Polish Airlines from a reactive maintenance model to a more data-driven planning framework, thereby enhancing cost governance, operational resilience and asset integrity. Leveraging soft time-based scheduling and predictive reliability modelling, the programme aims to minimise unscheduled removals, increase turnaround performance and optimise total cost of ownership for the airline’s 787 operations. Henrik Scholtfeldt, Head of Global Nacelle MRO, ST Engineering, said, “This agreement reflects LOT Polish Airlines’ continued trust and confidence in us to keep their Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet flying safely. By including predictive maintenance in our partnership, we are able to further strengthen our service consistency and support LOT Polish Airlines in reaching higher cost efficiency and operational resilience.” Wiktor Radon, Technical Operations Managing Director, LOT Polish Airlines, said, “This programme is a strategic investment in operational efficiency and long-term value creation for fleet resilience. Predictive maintenance provides measurable advantages: fewer unscheduled events, assured turnaround times, and enhanced aircraft availability — outcomes that underpin our financial objectives and reinforce service continuity for our customers.”

New Delhi, 17th January 2026: A four-member Indian delegation, led by Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar will be on an official visit to Kenya from January 19 to 21, 2026. The Secretary (Defence Production) will represent India’s defence manufacturing and export ecosystem at the third India–Kenya Defence Exhibition and Seminar organised under the Brand India scheme of Department of Defence Production, scheduled to be held in Nairobi on January 19, 2026. The event will witness participation from 20 Indian defence companies from both public and private sectors, showcasing a wide range of defence products and services. The High Commissioner of India to Kenya Dr Adarsh Swaika will also attend the event. The visit reflects the Government of India’s vision to strengthen defence industrial cooperation and exports. During the visit, the Secretary (Defence Production) will also hold meetings with the officials of the Government of Kenya and Kenya Defence Forces. The focus of the bilateral meetings will be on promoting India’s indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities and exploring opportunities for mutual collaboration.

New Delhi, 15th January 2026: Air India and Saudia have signed a codeshare agreement that will take effect in February 2026. The agreement introduces a range of benefits for Air India’s and Saudia’s guests, boosting connectivity, enhancing travel experience, strengthening network access, maximising flight options, and supporting growing demand across tourism, business travel, and wider guest segments. Through the new partnership, guests will enjoy streamlined booking and ticketing, smooth connections using a single itinerary, and baggage check-through to their final destination. Air India guests travelling to Jeddah or Riyadh with Air India can take seamless onward connections on Saudia-operated flights to Dammam, Abha, Gassim, Gizan, Madinah, and Taif. The addition of codeshare flights on the Jeddah-Riyadh route now allows guests more flexibility to arrive in one city and depart from another. Connections to select complementary international destinations will be added later this year. The codeshare will also provide Saudia’s guests access to major cities across India via Mumbai and Delhi, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Lucknow, and Jaipur and more than 15 other destinations as interline. Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: “Saudi Arabia is amongst our most important markets in the Middle East, with the country fast transforming into a major international gateway to the region. We are happy to be partnering with Saudia to provide greater access to the large Indian diaspora spread across Saudi Arabia as well as to open up the Kingdom’s rapidly evolving and diverse tourism offerings and remarkable destinations to holidaymakers from India.” H.E. Engr. Ibrahim Al-Omar, Director General of Saudia Group, said: “The codeshare agreement with Air India marks a strategic step forward, given both airlines’ long histories and their shared commitment to increasing connectivity within their home markets and between their countries, while offering guests broader access to more destinations through simplified travel procedures that elevate the overall travel experience.” He added: “Saudia’s presence in India spans over 60 years, during which we’ve proudly served a wide range of guests and helped foster stronger ties between our two nations. Saudia Arabia is a great place to visit, and with seamless e-visas, stopover visas, and also visa-on-arrival for eligible Indian passport holders, it has never been easier to visit the Kingdom.” Air India has significantly expanded its global alliance network and at present it maintains 24 codeshare partnerships and nearly 100 interline agreements with leading carriers worldwide, providing access to over 800 destinations globally.

Bengaluru, January 9, 2026: Navratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has secured additional orders worth Rs.596 Crore since the last disclosure on 1st January 2026. Major orders received include drone detection and jamming system, mobile communication terminal, software solution, upgrades, spares, services etc.

Doha,8th January 2026: Qatar Airways, the operator of the world’s first and largest Starlink- equipped widebody fleet, has become the first carrier globally to enable Boeing 787-8 with Starlink. The airline has also equipped its entire Airbus A350 fleet within eight months in December 2025. To date, Qatar Airways is operating three Dreamliners with the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky, bringing the total of its Starlink-connected widebody aircraft to nearly 120. Marking the fastest and most ambitious Starlink widebody rollout programme in global aviation history, the airline is progressing at an unsurpassed pace. Within just 14 months, Qatar Airways started and completed the Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 Starlink installation programmes, and then expanded to its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Delhi, 6th Jan 2026: In line with the aviation industry’s evolution toward Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA), Simaero has selected Hinfact as its platform provider to support the group’s transition to full CBTA across its global training services network. A Strategic Step Toward Full CBTA Implementation Under the agreement, Simaero will integrate Hinfact’s digital tools into its training services framework to support CBTA course design and implementation. The platform will serve as a core operational tool, enabling structured competency assessment, real-time data feedback, and compliance with ICAO standards. “This collaboration is part of our global transition toward the CBTA training paradigm across all our services,” said Patrice Galinier, Group Training Director at Simaero. “By introducing Hindact’s solution into our ecosystem, we are providing our training experts with a powerful, intuitive tool that facilitates both course design and implementation. It’s a major step toward making CBTA a living framework within ATO training.” A Natural Collaboration According to Simaero Group Training Director, Hinfact provides one of the most advanced platforms for CBTA course design, offering flexibility, a user-friendly interface, and robust data analytics that align perfectly with Simaero’s operational needs. While Simaero retains full responsibility for course content and design, the Hinfact platform offers an ideal foundation for scalable CBTA implementation. In addition, Hinfact’s ongoing research in cognitive performance and AI-based training analytics resonates with Simaero’s long-term vision for advanced pilot training development. This new partnership also benefits from geographical proximity and shared values, fostering a collaborative dynamic that extends beyond a traditional client–provider relationship. “Our philosophy has always been to create tools that amplify pedagogical expertise rather than impose it,” added Thomas Bessière, CEO at Hinfact. “Simaero understood this perfectly: they maintain control over content and design, while we provide them with the technological power and flexibility to bring their own CBTA vision to life.” Shared Vision for the Future Looking ahead, this first collaboration lays the groundwork for future joint initiatives between the two companies, who share a common commitment to shaping the next generation of competency-based pilot training. Together, they are exploring how to leverage Hinfact’s software expertise and Simaero’s extensive pilot training experience to develop new, integrated training solutions for the global aviation market.

Kuala Lumpur,5th January 2026: Preliminary November 2025 traffic figures released by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed continued strong growth in both international air passenger and cargo markets. Travel demand remained robust within the region and across key long-haul routes, while inventory restocking and increased e-commerce activity heading into the year-end festive season supported further expansion in air cargo demand. Overall, the number of international passengers carried by Asia Pacific airlines increased by 8.3% year-on-year in November to a combined total of 32.9 million. Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), demand grew by 9.0% compared to the same month in 2024, outpacing the 8.0% expansion in available seat capacity. As a result, the average international passenger load factor rose by 0.8 percentage points to 83.2% for the month. Reflecting increased export activity from Asian economies, particularly in South-East Asia and India, Asia Pacific carriers recorded a 6.2% year-on-year increase in international air cargo demand, as measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK), in November. Offered freight capacity rose by 7.2% year-on-year, resulting in a marginal 0.6 percentage point decline in the average international freight load factor to 61.9% for the month. Commenting on the results, Subhas Menon, AAPA Director General, said, “Continued robust growth in both leisure and business travel propelled passenger demand higher in November, contributing to a solid 10% increase in the number of international passengers carried for the first eleven months of the year, to a total of 355 million.” “Meanwhile, Asian carriers benefitted from strong demand for the timely shipment of goods, consistent with past traffic trends for this time of the year. Overall, air cargo demand remained resilient over the year, rising by 5.6% year-on-year for the first eleven months of 2025, as supply chains increasingly shifted towards other economies in Asia.” Looking ahead, Subhas Menon concluded, “The overall outlook is positive, with passenger demand expected to record further growth in 2026. Intensifying market competition is placing pressure on yields, while airlines continue to face cost pressures arising from persistent supply chain challenges. Although the decline in oil prices provides some relief, airlines remain vigilant in managing costs to maintain profitability.”

Navi Mumbai, 30 December 2025: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) after commencement of operations, recorded a total of 26,021 passengers within its first five days. This includes 12,431 arrivals and 13,590 departures, reflecting robust demand and consistent booking activity since launch. Passenger volumes peaked over the weekend, with 5,548 travellers on Saturday and 5,614 on Sunday. During this period, NMIA managed 162 scheduled air traffic movements, comprising 81 arrivals and 81 departures. Currently, NMIA connects to 13 major domestic destinations: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa (MOPA), Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Mangalore, Nagpur, and Vadodara. The airport anticipates expanding its network in the coming month to serve additional cities.

New Delhi, 30 December 2025: Air India has announced a new, unilateral codeshare partnership with airBaltic, the flag carrier of Latvia, thus making the Baltic region more conveniently accessible for Air India customers. This builds on the interline partnership between the two carriers established in June 2025. Under the codeshare, Air India has begun adding its ‘AI’ designator code on airBaltic-operated flights between the Latvian capital city of Riga and Air India’s European gateways at Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Milan Malpensa, Vienna, Zurich, and London Gatwick. This enables Air India customers to travel between India and Riga via any of these European points with a single Air India ticket including flight connections to Riga bearing the ‘AI’ designator code. Air India’s interline partnership with airBaltic also enables travellers to fly to Tallinn in Estonia and Vilnius in Lithuania via select Air India gateways in Europe, thus covering the Baltic region. Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India, said: “This expanded partnership with airBaltic reflects Air India’s commitment to providing seamless global connectivity to our customers across the world. Latvia and the wider Baltic region are growing travel markets, but getting there for our customers was previously not as convenient as it now becomes with airBaltic on board with us.” Since its privatization in 2022, Air India has significantly expanded its global alliance network. Today, the airline maintains 24 codeshare partnerships and nearly 100 interline agreements with leading carriers worldwide, providing seamless access for Air India customers to over 800 destinations globally.The codeshare flights are available for bookings through the two airlines’ respective booking channels and travel agents worldwide.