Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

Hello from the UAE, as I just flew Emirates’ Airbus A350-900 business class on the 7hr10min flight from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to Dubai (DXB). The A350 joined Emirates’ fleet a little over a year ago, and it’s the carrier’s first new aircraft type since 2008, so it’s a pretty major development for the airline.Emirates opted not to go for a cutting edge business class hard product on this aircraft, which many of us found a bit puzzling, as the airline instead installed an evolved version of its existing staggered product. However, I’ve gotta be honest, I think Emirates’…

Air Tahiti Nui has appointed Lionel Guérin as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective February 11, 2026. The appointment comes as the French Polynesian flag carrier seeks to address mounting financial losses and position itself for potential foreign investment. Guérin, a former Air France executive with extensive aviation industry experience, takes over leadership of the airline during a critical period.  The carrier has accumulated losses of approximately $215 million since its founding in 1996 and lost $27.3 million in 2024 alone, according to aviation publication Aero South Pacific. Strategic transformation needed The appointment follows the departure of Philippe Marie, who…

Perhaps this is more of a “big picture” life question than something specific to airports and airplanes. Heck, maybe I just need to see a therapist and figure out why this gets on my nerves so much. I figure I’m not alone, though, so I’m curious how the OMAAT community feels about this… Frustration with people not using headphones in public For some reason, a surprising number of people think it’s appropriate to do various activities without headphones in public — this includes video calls, playing video games, watching TV shows, or even blasting music. Frankly I don’t get it.…

BlueFive Capital, an international alternative investment firm, has announced the launch of a dedicated aircraft leasing subsidiary.  This new line of business, unveiled on February 12, 2026, will operate under the name BlueFive Leasing and will be based in Muscat, Oman, with one of that Sultanate’s sovereign financial institutions (its identity has not yet been disclosed) as its partner.  The investment firm is currently in the process of raising more than US$1 billion for its first investment vehicle, which will be called BlueFive Wings Fund I. Its focus will be on servicing airlines in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.…

WARSAW, Poland — Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has announced his country is in talks with the United States to buy an additional four F-16 fighter jets on top of the 14 copies already ordered.In his announcement, made following Fico’s Feb. 15 meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the prime minister said the acquisition could enable Slovakia to cease its reliance on allies for air-policing missions.“There’s an interest to increase numbers to 18 fighter jets, and now we’re discussing the topic about how to get four more of the planes to our armed forces because … it’s not…

A rather unsettling situation played out this morning at Hong Kong’s airport, which potentially has even more consequences than you’d expect… British man arrested for HKG check-in kiosk attack A 35-year-old British national has been arrested at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), following some wild behavior. This incident unfolded at around 6AM local time today (Monday, February 16, 2026). Video footage shows the man pushing over kiosks at the airport’s departures hall, and then smashing them with a metal post. According to the airport authority, around 10 smart check-in kiosks were damaged, along with some railings, at Aisle J of…

Italian aerospace and defense firm Leonardo will supply Saudi Arabia with four C-27J Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2029. On February 16, 2026, Leonardo announced that the contract “marks the first time the C-27J MPA is procured with maritime weapon system integration capability”. “In addition to its maritime patrol and surveillance capabilities, the C-27J MPA can carry a significant weapons payload to counter multiple threats, including torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and depth charges in accordance with the specific mission needs,” said a spokesperson for Leonardo. Leonardo’s C-27J MPA is designed to deal with modern submarine and…

PARIS — The United States has changed its attitude on European allies funneling defense funds to local arms industries, and will be “pragmatic” about governments choosing to buy military equipment domestically, according to a senior U.S. defense official.If countries spend 3.5% or 5% on defense, “we understand that you’re going to need to indigenize a large fraction of that production,” Elbridge Colby, the under secretary of defense for policy, said at a Feb. 13 side event of the Munich Security Conference.“Otherwise people in Germany or Poland or whatever are going to say: ‘Why are we only sending money across the…

Melbourne Airport (MEL) announced that it processed a record number of international passengers in January 2026, driven by increased flight capacity and travelers attending the Australian Open tennis tournament. The airport welcomed 688,534 international arrivals during the month, contributing to total international traffic of 1.26 million passengers. Combined with 2.12 million domestic travelers, Melbourne Airport handled 3.38 million passengers in January, making it the third-busiest month in the facility’s history. Event-driven traffic surge The passenger surge coincided with Melbourne’s hosting of the Australian Open, one of tennis’s four Grand Slam tournaments. January 9, 2026, marked the busiest single day on…

Delta Air Lines announced that it distributed $1.3 billion to employees on February 13, 2026 as part of its annual profit-sharing program. The payout represents 8.9% of workers’ eligible annual earnings or roughly four weeks of additional pay The payout, which coincided  with Valentine’s Day as has become tradition for the Atlanta-based carrier, ranks among the five largest in Delta’s history. The airline said the amount exceeds the combined profit-sharing distributions of all other US airlines. Formula and distribution Under Delta’s profit-sharing structure, employees receive 10% of the airline’s first $2.5 billion in profits and 20% of earnings above that…