Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

Bombardier raised its full-year 2026 free cash flow guidance on April 30, 2026, after posting its strongest first quarter in nearly two decades, with the Canadian business jet maker pointing to a record-setting backlog and demand for the Global 8000 as the engines of the quarter.  The Montreal-based manufacturer now expects free cash flow above $1.0 billion for the year, up from a previously communicated range of $600 million to $1.0 billion issued on February 12, 2026. All other 2026 guidance metrics, including aircraft deliveries above 157 units and revenues above $10 billion, were reaffirmed.  Backlog climbs to $20.3 billion  Order backlog reached $20.3 billion at the end of March 2026,…

China’s fighter jet manufacturers are seeing a sharp rise in sales following the 2025 India-Pakistan conflict, where Chinese-built aircraft were credited by Pakistan with playing a decisive role in aerial combat. The sales jump was reported by Bloomberg on April 29, 2026. AVIC Chengdu Aircraft., the company behind the J-10CE fighter jet, posted revenue of 75.4 billion yuan (US$11 billion) in 2025, a 15.8% increase from the previous year. Profits climbed 6.5% to 3.4 billion yuan (US$497 million). Both figures are the highest in the company’s history. The momentum has continued into 2026, with first-quarter sales jumping nearly 80% compared…

We knew this change was coming, though perhaps it’s happening a bit sooner than we were expecting, as flagged by Zach Griff. United rebrands select domestic premium cabins as PolarisPolaris business class is the name of United’s long haul, international business class experience. Historically, the forward cabin on domestic flights has simply been marketed as first or business class, but not as Polaris business class. That has now changed.Effective immediately, United has introduced Polaris business class branding on select domestic flights:This applies in premium transcontinental markets, including from Newark (EWR) to Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), and vice…

Japan Airlines Group posted record revenue and profit for the fiscal year ending March 2026, hitting all of its financial targets despite an increasingly uncertain global environment. The airline group reported revenue of JPY 2,012.5 billion (US$13.4 billion), up 9.1% from 2025 and the highest since the company relisted on the stock exchange.  EBIT reached JPY 218.0 billion (US$1.45 billion), a 26.4% increase, while net profit climbed 28.6% to JPY 137.6 billion (US$917 million). Hitting every target JAL reported that it achieved all three financial goals set out in its 2021-2025 medium-term management plan. The EBIT margin came in at…

China’s largest cargo airline operator has chosen Singapore as the base for its international expansion. Changi Airport Group (CAG) and Shenzhen S.F. Taisen Holding (SF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on April 30, 2026, establishing Singapore’s Changi Airport (SIN) as SF Group’s first overseas hub.  The five-year agreement covers regions including Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Oceania. What the partnership involves Under the agreement, SF Group will use Singapore as a launchpad to expand its reach across the Asia Pacific region. The company plans to progressively grow its network at Changi Airport, strengthening connections with major markets in the…

United Airlines recently began service with its newest Boeing 787-9. While the airline already has a huge Dreamliner fleet, this plane is special, given that it has the carrier’s all-new interiors, and it’s in a very premium configuration. This is a plane that many United frequent flyers have been excited to fly, but actually doing so has proven to be challenging (thanks to Kevin for flagging this)… United’s new Dreamliner was grounded twice in daysN61101 is the registration code for United’s first new Boeing 787-9, which also has the United 100th anniversary decal on it, and it’s the first plane…

Air France-KLM cut its 2026 capacity outlook on April 30, 2026, and warned that the Middle East conflict would inflict a €940 million ($1.1 billion) fuel shock on the group in the second quarter alone, even as the Franco-Dutch carrier reported a near-breakeven Q1 operating result that improved by €301 million ($352 million) year-on-year.  The group posted an operating result of -€27 million (-$32 million) on revenues of €7.5 billion ($8.8 billion), up 4.4% on the same period of 2025. The improvement was driven almost entirely by the passenger network, where unit revenue rose 5.1% at constant currency and yields climbed by mid-single digits across all…

Cabo Verde Airlines is resuming flights to the United States, with a route that many people may struggle to make sense of (but as you’d expect, there’s a reason). Cabo Verde Airlines will fly to Providence, Rhode IslandRhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) in Providence will soon once again have transatlantic service, with a nonstop link to the small African nation of Cabo Verde.The route will launch once weekly as of May 4, 2026, before increasing to twice weekly as of June 5, 2026. Specifically, the service will operate from Praia (RAI) to Sal (SID) to Providence (PVD), with…

Subscription Required Open to All Readers By Vincent E. Bianco III Vincent Bianco. April 30, 2026, © Leeham News: Venture capital is flooding into autonomous air traffic control. The investor enthusiasm is rational. The regulatory assumptions behind it are not. The money Is pouring in for Air Traffic Control (ATC), and it has nothing to do with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Over the past 18 months, a wave of startups has emerged claiming they can automate pieces of ATC using artificial intelligence. Y Combinator backed Enhanced Radar Systems. GTMfund led Oureon Technologies’ $3.5m pre-seed. NoamAI debuted at Airspace World…

The U.S. Air Force released for the first time a short clip showing a B-1B Lancer bomber flying with an AGM-183 ARRW hypersonic weapon carried externally. A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber was shown for the first time while carrying an AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). The hypersonic weapon was visible in a short 2-second clip which was part of a longer feature dedicated to maintainers and released on Edwards Air Force Base’s Instagram page on Apr. 29, 2026. ARRW on B-1B It is unclear when the test flight with the ARRW on the B-1B Lancer was conducted.…