Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung arrived in Eswatini on April 25, 2026, days after President Lai Ching-te’s planned visit to the southern African kingdom was abandoned when the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar withdrew permission for his chartered aircraft to transit their airspace. Lin, traveling as Lai’s special envoy to attend celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession, posted a photograph of himself disembarking from a private jet on his Facebook page late on April 25, 2026, saying his delegation had “overcome all obstacles” to reach the country. He did not disclose the aircraft’s routing or the aircraft’s…

Nepal is seeking aerial cranes or heavy-lift helicopters from the United States instead of six Bell 412 helicopters offered under a $100 million Foreign Military Financing program, according to government officials familiar with the matter. The Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the Nepali Army have decided to send a counter-proposal to the US requesting military assistance that aligns with Nepal’s operational requirements and priorities, the officials told The Kathmandu Post on April 26, 2026. Construction transport priority “Helicopters are not our priority at present,” a foreign ministry official said on…

The US Navy’s first production-representative Boeing MQ-25 Stingray completed its maiden flight on April 25, 2026, taking off from MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois, in the most significant step yet toward fielding the service’s first carrier-based unmanned aircraft. The flight, originally targeted for the end of 2025, was conducted with a Boeing-owned TA-4J Skyhawk and a US Navy UC-12M Huron acting as chase aircraft, The Aviationist reported. A first attempt on April 22, 2026, was aborted for undisclosed reasons. The flight comes almost seven years after the T1 demonstrator’s first sortie on September 19, 2019. The new airframe…

I’ve written in the past about the pros and cons of traveling with carry-ons vs. checked bags, and I’ve also written about how to avoid gate checking bags. An OMAAT reader asked me a question along the lines of this topic, which I haven’t addressed before. I’m sure he’d appreciate other perspectives, and for that matter, I imagine it’s a question others have as well. Are premium passengers subject to strict baggage rules? Yuri asked me a question that centers around two main points: To what extent are carry-on allowances enforced for premium cabin passengers, particularly surrounding the personal item?…

Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the most useful frequent flyer programs out there for redeeming points, thanks to the huge number of airline partners the program has, the reasonable award pricing, and the ability to add stopovers for 5,000 points. I appreciate Aeroplan’s transparency, and that the program has a published award chart, so members have a sense of what they’ll pay for an award. So along those lines, it’s worth being aware of an update, as Aeroplan is changing its award pricing, and at least we have some advance notice. Aeroplan is changing award pricing in many zones…

A-Viator Academy In Belgium Has Plans For Rapid Growth Operational since April 2023 and based in Kortrijk-Wevelgem, Belgium, A-Viator has doubled its student base recently, reflecting its increasing market recognition and high-quality private pilot license and night-VFR training programs. In 2026, the school will further expand its portfolio with the introduction of basic instrument rating and competency-based instrument rating programs, an important step toward offering a complete modular professional pilot pathway. Following the highly successful introduction of their first Tecnam aircraft—a P2010—in March 2026, the academy has chosen to transition its entire fleet to Tecnam.

Also: Another No-Drone Zone, 8,004 ATC Applications, Roswell Air Races, VA v Airline Workers Lockheed posted a job for a U-2 pilot for their Skunk Works division in Palmdale, CA, noting, “As the U-2 Pilot – Skunk Works you will be responsible for testing and operating advanced aircraft to validate performance and support mission readiness.” They add that the pilot “will test aircraft to determine compliance with specification and operational suitability. Also, will operate models of test aircraft during engineering flight tests, production acceptance, and flight-test support through specifically prescribed tests and maneuvers… Paramount Pictures has finally confirmed that Top…

Also: Emergency Notice for Embraer, 7 Organic Molecules On Mars, Drone Interferes w/Rescue, Piper Diode Cooler The Air Force is extending the life of the A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane until at least 2030, pausing the service’s plan to retire the close air support aircraft amid active combat in the Middle East. The move spares the aging but beloved close air-support aircraft, which has played an important role in Iran, from an earlier retirement deadline of 2026. Elixir Aircraft introduced the Elixir+ at the opening of AERO Friedrichshafen April 22, which introduces modifications designed to improve the flight trainer, alongside…

From 2024 (YouTube edition): Model Debuts Alongside 160-Hp Rotax 916 iS In a recent partnership, CubCrafters and Rotax together unveiled their new and improved designs: the Carbon Cub UL powered by the 160 hp Rotax 916 iS. The aircraft quickly took the stage for its simplicity, stability, and exceptional performance. The Carbon Cub UL began as a method for CubCrafters to further invest in the somewhat untapped international market. It falls under European ultralight standards, weighing in at 860 lbs empty and having a maximum takeoff weight of 1320 lbs. Though it was initially aimed at overseas customers, the Carbon…

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far! I’m just wrapping up a trip to Asia. Sorry, I had intended to write more about it “live,” though there was a lot of news this week, so I didn’t get around to it, especially since I was trying to actually disconnect a bit. So instead I’ll probably just go right to the full trip report series. On the points & travel front, this week the biggest story was the government possibly buying Spirit. Beyond that, Air Canada took delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR, World of Hyatt revealed exactly…