Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has grounded Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket after an upper-stage problem placed an AST SpaceMobile satellite into the wrong orbit, turning a major booster-reuse milestone into a failed customer mission. New Glenn launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on April 19, 2026, carrying AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 7 satellite. The flight marked New Glenn’s third mission and Blue Origin’s first reuse of a New Glenn booster. The first stage, named Never Tell Me The Odds, returned successfully and landed on Blue Origin’s ocean platform, giving the company an important step toward reusable heavy-lift…

By Bjorn Fehrm April 24, 2026, ©. Leeham News: We are making a series of articles on the Blended Wing Body (BWB) as a potentially more efficient design for passenger-carrying airliners than the classical Tube-And-Wing (TAW) configuration. In the sixth article last week, we discussed how the drag characteristics of the BWB and a high optimal cruise altitude have consequences for the choice of engines. The thrust lapse due to altitude is higher than for Tube-And-Wing aircraft that fly about 10,000ft lower. The JetZero Z4, therefore, needs engines adapted for high climbs and cruise conditions. This requires engines with higher…

This is more of a luxury hotel post than a points hotel post, so if that doesn’t interest you, by all means skip it. However, what’s probably my single favorite boutique hotel group in the world has just opened its first property outside of France, and I figure that’s worth covering. Basics of the new 45-key Airelles Venice, Italy Airelles Palladio Venice (Venezia) has opened as of April 2026, marking the newest property of the French luxury hotel group, and the first one outside of France. The hotel has 45 accommodations, and is located on Venice’s Giudecca Island, just a…

In the summer of 2025, the government of Portugal relaunched a project to privatize national carrier TAP Air Portugal, with the goal of selling a large stake within a year or so. All too often, not much comes of these kinds of projects, though it seems like this is moving along nicely. In early April 2026, we learned how two major airline groups had submitted non-binding offers to invest in TAP. We now know that this is moving forward, as both airlines are being invited to make binding offers, so let’s cover all the details. TAP Air Portugal privatization effort…

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has withdrawn US drone restrictions that barred flights near federal immigration enforcement vehicles after a Minnesota photojournalist challenged the rule in federal court.  The FAA replaced the restrictions after Rob Levine, a Minneapolis-based photojournalist, sued the agency with help from attorneys at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.   Levine argued that the FAA’s rule blocked lawful drone journalism by creating moving no-fly zones around federal vehicles that pilots could not identify before launching.  The restriction, issued in January 2026, barred drones from flying within 3,000 feet laterally and 1,000 feet vertically of certain Department of Homeland Security facilities and mobile…

In March 2022, Air Canada placed an order for Airbus’ new long range narrow body jet. A little over four years later, there’s now an exciting update, as the airline has just taken delivery of its first of these aircraft. Let’s go over all the details, and what this plane means for the Star Alliance carrier. Air Canada has 30 Airbus A321XLRs on orderAir Canada is acquiring 30 Airbus A321XLR aircraft — 15 of these planes are being purchased, while 15 are being leased. The first of these aircraft has just been delivered, and fittingly, it has the registration code…

Air Canada took delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR on April 24, 2026, during a ceremony at the manufacturer’s Hamburg facility, thereby becoming the first Canadian operator of the extended-range narrowbody.  The aircraft, registered C-GXLR, is the first of 30 A321XLRs that Air Canada is set to receive over the coming years. Of those, 15 will be leased and 15 acquired directly from Airbus. The first unit is on lease from SMBC Aviation Capital, which will supply the full leased portion of the order.  Following Transport Canada certification, Air Canada plans to phase the aircraft into transatlantic services from Montreal and Toronto as well as transcontinental routes across North America. The carrier previously confirmed Montreal to Palma de Mallorca…

We know that as of May 20, 2026, World of Hyatt is completely overhauling award pricing, by introducing a new five tier award chart (compared to the current three tiers). On the high end, this has the potential to be awful. However, that’s not the only change happening as of that date. World of Hyatt has also just revealed hotel category adjustments for 2026, impacting which hotels are in which categories (and in turn, impacting how many points are required for free night redemptions). This is something that Hyatt does annually, and it’s separate from the overall award chart changes.…

As the USAF confirms its intent to buy more F-15EX Eagle IIs, Senators Budd and Shaheen have launched three new bills designed to expand the U.S. fighter inventory and retain experienced pilots. New plans from the U.S. Air Force boosting their order of F-15EX Eagle II fighters to as many as 267 aircraft may not be the last we hear of this program expanding, at least not if several members of the U.S. Senate achieve their aims. Just after the Pentagon revealed its $1.5 trillion budget request for FY2027, its largest ever, U.S. Senators Ted Budd (Republican, North Carolina) and…

ST Engineering is paving the way for the next generation of drone innovations, and the engineering company chose the Singapore Airshow 2026 to demonstrate that claim.At the media preview on February 3, 2026,  the Singaporean aerospace and defense  giant officially unveiled the DrN-600, a medium-lift cargo drone with an eight-meter wingspan and a maximum takeoff weight just under 600 kilograms.  It is, by a comfortable margin, the largest unmanned aircraft the company has ever built, and it marks a turning point not just for ST Engineering but for Singapore’s broader push into autonomous air logistics. The unveiling carried weight beyond…