Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

Hello from Taipei, as I just flew China Airlines’ Airbus A350-900 business class on the 13hr50min flight from Phoenix (PHX) to Taipei (TPE). Taiwan is perhaps the most competitive airline market in the world on a per capita basis, with the island having three full service, global airlines.I had flown EVA Air business class and Starlux business class across the Pacific in recent years, and was looking forward to flying China Airlines business class for the first time in around six years. I got an amazing deal on this flight, as I paid just 72,500 Flying Blue miles (which I…

By Bjorn Fehrm and Henry Tam February 6, 2026, ©. Leeham News: We have completed a detailed, step-by-step analysis of the certification requirements a Part 25 Air Transport airliner in the 200-seat segment must meet. In our series, we have seen work that could benefit from an AI agent, and other work where we conclude it will be difficult. We begin this week by outlining areas where we expect AI to reduce the number of work hours required to complete a task. We will attribute these AI-driven work-hour reductions to the appropriate areas of the aircraft Program Plan in Figure…

Airbus and Singapore have achieved full certification of the Automatic Air-to-Air Refueling (A3R) capability on the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT). Collaboration between Airbus, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) began in 2020, with the aim of validating and accelerating entry into service of the A3R system. On February 4, 2026, Airbus announced that certification had been granted by the Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA), following a qualification and flight-test campaign conducted with the RSAF and DSTA. Airbus described the achievement as a “key milestone” in the…

SINGAPORE — American drone company Shield AI plans to integrate its AI-enabled software into Singaporean manned-unmanned-teaming applications, enabling the coordination of drone swarms.Local firm ST Engineering and Shield AI signed a memorandum of understanding at the Singapore Airshow here on Feb. 5 to combine the Hivemind autonomy software on different platforms manufactured by the national defense-tech champion.An ST Engineering spokesperson told Defense News the company sees possibilities for integrating Hivemind into its manned-unmanned teaming operating system, or MUMTOS, marketed on the firm’s website as a tool for balancing “human judgment and machine precision.”The open-architecture system is designed to connect a…

Air India has launched its first flagship lounge, named ‘The Maharaja’, at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in New Delhi. The Maharaja Lounge is the first of several modern lounges that the airline intends to open at airports across India and the world, the carrier announced on February 6, 2026. “The Maharaja Lounge is a significant milestone in our transformation journey,” said Campbell Wilson, CEO & Managing Director of Air India. “We endeavour to set a benchmark in aviation hospitality, and this is just the beginning. Our strategic expansion plans include substantial investments to build more such…

An investigation has been opened in Belgium after a Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) Airbus A320neo commenced takeoff from a taxiway rather than the airport runway. According to Brussels Airport (BRU), the SAS flight was cleared for takeoff on February 5, 2026, at around 21:45, following a short delay, and was due to land at Copenhagen Airport (CPH) just over an hour later. The SAS flight crew were cleared for takeoff from runway 07R but mistakenly positioned the aircraft on taxiway E1, which runs parallel to the airport runway. ADS-B data taken from Flightradar24 recorded the Airbus A320neo, registered SE-ROM, at just…

SINGAPORE — Singapore is slated join the F-35 operator club once the first of its Lockheed Martin F-35B fighters enter service later this year, becoming the fourth Asia-Pacific nation to fly the fifth-generation fighter.Steve Sheehy, Lockheed Martin’s Vice President of Aeronautics International Business Development, predicted in a briefing at Singapore Airshow 2026 that more than 300 F-35s will be present in the region by 2030. This figure includes American F-35s based in Japan and Alaska.Australia has 72 F-35A fighters, the last of which arrived in December 2024. In fact, Australia is currently the largest F-35 operator outside the United States.However,…

While the exact number varies, research shows that there are over 100,000 commercial flights globally per day. Commercial flights, of course, are operated by businesses known as airlines. Airlines sell flight services for scheduled routes to the general public. There are different types of airlines, however, such as legacy and low-cost. What Are Legacy Airlines? Legacy airlines are carriers with origins dating back to the early days of commercial aviation. They were economically regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB). During the 1930s through the 1970s, the CAB required airlines to follow strict rules regarding routes and fares. It even established a…

At the Singapore Airshow 2026, Japan Airlines (JAL) has made a deal with Boeing to enhance the interiors and in-flight connectivity of its 787 Dreamliners – 11 in total. On February 5, 2026, Boeing announced in a statement that they will carry out the upgrades, which will introduce JAL’s latest cabin interior design to existing 787-9s in the JAL international fleet. This will align them with the design and configuration of JAL’s upcoming new 787-9 aircraft deliveries. “This program is about more than new seats and upgraded in-flight connectivity, it’s about delivering a consistent, modern experience every time a passenger…

PARIS — The French Navy is toughening crew drills to better prepare sailors for the stress of coming under fire, following deployments to the Red Sea where Houthi rebels targeted Western warships and commercial traffic with drones and ballistic missiles.The navy is experimenting with its simulator drills to put crews in “increasingly stressful situations,” said Capt. Jérôme Henry, the head of training for the navy’s surface personnel, at the Paris Naval Conference this week. Henry said he’s drawing on past experience as commander of the frigate Alsace, which came under attack multiple times in the Red Sea, to “toughen up…