Canada’s first F-35 flies as fighter review continues
Canada’s first F-35 has flown—what comes next for the fleet and the Canadian companies behind it? The first Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II built for Canada completed its maiden flight on September 23, 2026. Aircraft AR-1 departed Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, beside the manufacturer’s assembly complex. The Aviationist documented the
F-35 parts diversion: China holds stealth parts
F-35 parts diversion: how did stealth components reach Chinese government custody? UPDATE — September 25, 2026: The F-35 parts diversion has entered a more serious phase. Bloomberg, citing two people briefed on the incident, says the Chinese government took possession of the diverted components. The parts had not been returned as of September 24. United
UPDATED Sept 25 – airBaltic Chapter 11: €350 million and an Airbus A220 reset
Can a New York bankruptcy court deliver the financial reset that creditor negotiations could not? airBaltic Chapter 11: Updated September 25, 2026 | Updated September 18, 2026 | Published September 15, 2026 On September 14, 2026, Latvia’s flag carrier and certain subsidiaries voluntarily filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the
Airbus A220 transition: Air Niugini & Croatia Airlines shift
Airbus A220 transition: why are experienced airBaltic pilots preparing to fly in Papua New Guinea just as Croatia Airlines prepares to retire its final A319s? On September 18, 2026, ch-aviation reported that up to 45 airBaltic pilots may voluntarily operate Air Niugini A220s from 2027. The same day, EX-YU Aviation News detailed Croatia Airlines’ tentative
Airbus A220 engine checks: FAA covers Pratt GTFs, Embraer E2
Airbus A220 engine checks: how widely could the Federal Aviation Administration’s proposed compressor inspections reach across A220 and Embraer E2 fleets? On September 17, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a notice of proposed rulemaking covering certain Pratt & Whitney PW1500G and PW1900G engines. The proposal follows six maintenance-shop findings involving contact between high-pressure-compressor
Ukraine drone deal: Public debt, private interests
Why should Canadians accept another industrial success story before Ottawa demonstrates the cost and national return? Ukraine drone deal: Canada is committing public resources while contractors gain business opportunities. Those are not equivalent benefits. On September 10, 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed new declarations in Calgary, Alberta. Breaking Defense reported
Airbus fleet deals: Vietravel targets 20 A220s
Could Vietravel’s proposed 20 A220s open another chapter in the aircraft’s Asian expansion? Airbus fleet deals: The Vietnamese carrier wants the smaller jet alongside 30 A321-family aircraft, giving the two families different network roles. However, this is not yet a firm 50-aircraft order. Reuters reported on September 11, 2026, that Vietravel Airlines signed a letter
Airbus A220 news: Three tests of a maturing market
What links Breeze’s fleet change, three planned part-outs and a new Singapore simulator? Airbus A220 news: During nine days in September 2026, the aircraft appeared at three different points in its commercial life. First, Airbus announced dedicated training capacity for Asia-Pacific. Next, investors disclosed financing built around interim operation, engine leasing and eventual airframe disassembly.
Bombardier Trade War: Trump’s U.S. Sales Threat
Can Washington exclude a Canadian aircraft manufacturer from the United States (U.S.) without harming American workers? Bombardier Trade War: President Donald Trump raised that question on September 7, 2026. He said Bombardier should lose U.S. market access unless it manufactured aircraft there. However, no Bombardier-specific sales prohibition had appeared by 12:45 p.m. Eastern Time on
Updated – Airbus A220 fleet strategy: airBaltic shrinks, BermudAir grows
How can the same jet sit at the centre of airBaltic’s retreat and BermudAir’s expansion? Published August 14, 2026 | Updated August 19, 2026 | Updated September 9, 2026 A220 fleet strategy: On August 11, 2026, Latvia’s airBaltic disclosed plans to cut its A220-300 fleet from 54 aircraft to 36 by year-end. One day later,
