Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

WARSAW, Poland — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced he is working with the country’s defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, to lift the nation’s ban on exporting weapons, with numerous foreign militaries showing interest in Ukrainian unmanned systems, anti-drone solutions and other tech.Local officials say they believe the remaining months of 2026 are a realistic timeframe for the first export contracts.We have “discussed in detail with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine the launch of arms exports, specifically the regulatory steps intended to support our state’s agreements and weapons production,” Zelenskyy wrote in an April 29 social media post.Ukraine’s arms makers…

Taiwan’s major airlines are holding fuel surcharges steady in May 2026, keeping rates at US$45 for short-haul international flights and US$117 for long-haul routes despite rising aviation fuel costs. Taiwan Focus reported on May 5, 2026, that EVA Airways, Starlux Airlines, and China Airlines have all confirmed they will maintain the surcharge levels that took effect on April 7, 2026. The decision means passengers departing Taiwan on short-haul routes, including flights to Hong Kong, will continue paying US$45 per flight segment. Travelers on long-haul routes will pay US$117 per segment. Airlines absorbing most of the fuel cost increase The freeze…

The St. Regis brand will be opening a second resort in the Cancun area, and this one is just weeks from welcoming its first guests. St. Regis Costa Mujeres Cancun opens June 25, 2026 The St. Regis Costa Mujeres Resort Cancun is now accepting reservations for stays as of June 25, 2026. This property is located in Costa Mujeres (as the name suggests), around 20 minutes by car north of Cancun. For context, there’s also the St. Regis Kanai Riviera Maya, roughly 40 minutes by car south of Cancun (so the two resorts are around an hour apart). This resort…

Lufthansa is rolling out a revamped onboard experience across all cabin classes on its long-haul flights, marking one of the largest investments in customer service in the airline’s history. The new service, which the airline calls FOX (Future Onboard Experience), launches on May 6, 2026, and covers Business, Premium Economy, and Economy classes. First Class already received its update at the end of March 2026. The rollout coincides with Lufthansa’s 100th anniversary. The airline said it is investing over EUR 70 million this year alone on the new service. FOX: What to expect The overhaul touches nearly every part of…

A fragile truce in the Middle East was under strain on Tuesday after the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in the Gulf as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz.Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said in a social media post on Tuesday breaches of the four-week-old ceasefire by the United States and its allies had endangered shipping and energy transit through the vital waterway.“We know well that the continuation of the current situation is unbearable for the United States, while we have not even begun yet,” he said. The fresh volleys of missiles and drones came after…

Lufthansa is trying to improve its long haul passenger experience. One major component of that is the debut of new Allegris cabins, which includes a new first class and new business class. On top of that, it includes the introduction of the FOX (“Future Onboard Experience”) service concept, whereby service across all cabins is being overhauled, regardless of whether flights are operated by planes with Allegris interiors or not. In a separate post, I broadly covered the changes that are being promised. The new first class soft product rolled out in late March, while the new soft product in other cabins is debuting…

euroAtlantic Airways has hired a former airBaltic interim CEO as the new chief executive of the Portuguese ACMI and charter operator. On May 5, 2026, euroAtlantic Airways announced that after 31 years at airBaltic, Pauls Calitis would take over from Stewart Higginson, who has served as CEO since early 2024. Calitis joined airBaltic as one of the carrier’s first pilots in 1995 and rose to become CCO in 2020 after a series of executive roles. In 2025, following the departure of Martin Gauss after 13 years at the helm of the Baltic carrier, Calitis assumed the position of interim CEO.…

VIENNA — Germany’s ambitions to close a long-range strike capability gap are facing a fresh setback after the Trump administration moved to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from German soil and effectively shelved a Biden-era plan to temporarily deploy Tomahawk cruise missiles and SM-6 missiles there.Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, speaking Monday in Munster, Germany, after a major Bundeswehr combined-arms exercise, said the reported decision meant Germany would be left with a capability gap.“That was an agreement between Joe Biden and Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the time − as a temporary bridge, until we as Europeans had developed our own systems,”…

The United States Air Force has cleared the Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk trainer for initial production, approving the first low-rate production lot of aircraft.  The decision, following Milestone C approval on April 23, 2026, allows the service to move forward with a $219 million contract covering the first 14 advanced trainer aircraft, along with spares, support equipment and training from Boeing Defense, Space & Security.   The T-7A is intended to replace the Northrop T-38 Talon, a trainer that has been in US Air Force service for more than six decades. The Red Hawk is scheduled to begin replacing the T-38 within Air Education and Training Command (AETC) in 2027, with Initial…

A new parliamentary report on French military dependence on foreign suppliers identifies gaps in sovereignty ranging from MALE drones to satellite-based early warning. The findings are not entirely new, but together they form a coherent map at a time when European armed forces are reconsidering long-standing US-origin dependencies.  Produced by deputies François Cormier-Bouligeon and Aurélien Saintoul for the Defense Commission, the report draws on months of hearings with the DGA, industry executives, and military officials.  It lands as France absorbs the effects of Operation Epic Fury and a wider European reorientation on weapons procurement and supply.  Where French sovereignty still holds  French Air and Space Force Rafale…