Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

By Scott Hamilton March 10, 2026, © Leeham News: The end of the war in the Middle East appears to be on a path of continued uncertainty and confusion, with no end in sight. Middle Eastern airlines and lessors have 1,710 airplanes on order. The Mideast represents 9% of Airbus’ backlog. It represents 14% of Boeing’s backlog. Airbus has a 43% share of the Mideast backlog, while Boeing has a 57% share. Embraer is a fractional player. Although President Donald Trump has already said the war has been “won” and could be over soon, he’s also provided mixed messages. Trump…

MD Helicopters has introduced the MD 564, a new light-single-engine helicopter derived from the long-running MD 500 series and aimed at operators that need more lift, endurance and hot-and-high capability without moving into a larger aircraft class.  The company said the MD 564 combines a six-blade main rotor, a four-blade tail rotor, and a Rolls-Royce 250-C47E/3 engine with dual-channel FADEC. MD is positioning the helicopter as a higher-performance evolution of the 500-series platform rather than an all-new design.  Based on specifications released by the company, the MD 564 is designed to deliver a 650-pound increase in internal payload and a 750-pound increase in external payload…

While Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) isn’t as important of a market for American as it was a few years back, the airline still has some positive passenger experience news for the airport… American opening a new Admirals Club in Austin American has announced that it plans to open a new Admirals Club in Austin. The new Admirals Club will be 12,000 square feet and will be located on the west side of the terminal, nearly doubling the carrier’s current lounge footprint. Construction on the new lounge will begin this year, and the current lounge will remain open until the new…

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers is stepping down as leader of India’s largest airline with immediate effect and will be replaced by an interim appointee from within the company. IndiGo, or InterGlobe Aviation, issued a statement on March 10, 2026, thanking Elbers for his “contribution and service to the organization” and wished him “well in his future endeavors”. Pieter’s joined IndiGo as the airline’s new leader in 2022, after a 30-year career at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, including as the carrier’s CEO for 12 years. Earlier this year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) hit IndiGo with around a $2.6…

Air France marked International Women’s Day (March 8) 2026 by operating a special flight to carry France’s official delegation to the 69th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York. The delegation, led by the Ministry for Gender Equality, included Minister Delegate Aurore Bergé and representatives from across French civil society, among them Cynthia Illouz, founder of The Women Voices, a media platform dedicated to amplifying women’s perspectives and promoting female leadership since its founding in 2019. The flight was crewed predominantly by women, including both pilots. The CSW, held from March 9 to…

The CEO of India’s largest airline has just announced his resignation, in a development that I imagine is related to the carrier’s meltdown several weeks back… IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers leaves the airline IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has resigned from his position at the airline, effective immediately, for “personal reasons.” Here’s the letter he published, that’s addressed to Rahul Bhatia, the company’s Managing Director: Dear Mr. Bhatia, As per our conversation, due to personal reasons, I herewith submit my resignation from the position of CEO of IndiGo with effect from today. I would request that notice period may be waived…

Bell’s high-speed vertical lift demonstrator for DARPA’s SPRINT program has received the official X-76 designation and passed its Critical Design Review, allowing the aircraft to move from design into the build phase. The X-76 is being developed under DARPA’s SPRINT, or SPeed and Runway INdependent Technologies, program, a joint effort with US Special Operations Command. The goal is to demonstrate an aircraft able to cruise at more than 400 knots while still hovering in austere environments and operating from unprepared surfaces. DARPA also attached symbolic value to the designation itself. The agency said the X-76 name is a deliberate reference…

In 2025, SWISS introduced all new cabins for its long haul aircraft (including a new first and business class), in a project that’s known as SWISS Senses. SWISS is part of Lufthansa Group, so these cabins are essentially identical to the new Lufthansa Allegris concept, but with different branding.These new SWISS Senses cabins were first rolled out on newly delivered Airbus A350-900s, though we know that SWISS also plans to reconfigure its existing jets with these new seats. There’s an exciting update, as it sounds like the first Airbus A330-300 will be reconfigured with SWISS Senses cabins in the very…

Airbus has delivered its 54th commercial aircraft this year on the path to an increasingly ambitious looking annual target of “around 870” jets. On March 9, 2026, the European aerospace giant confirmed that in February 2026, the company delivered 35 aircraft to 21 customers. Airbus previously confirmed that 19 commercial aircraft were delivered during January 2026, bringing the total for the year so far to 54. At the same stage in 2025, Airbus had delivered 65 aircraft, 11 more than its current performance. Airbus initially forecast annual delivery guidance of around 820 aircraft in 2025 but ended the year by…

In January 2026, Starbucks announced major changes to its Starbucks Rewards loyalty program. While I can’t say I’m some diehard Starbucks fan, or that this is directly airline or hotel related, it’s still a major loyalty program, and it’s interesting to see the changes. I’d like to provide an update and reminder, as these changes are live as of today, so let’s cover everything. New Starbucks Rewards Stars earning & elite status The new Starbucks Rewards program has launched as of March 10, 2026. The first thing to note is that we’re seeing the reintroduction of elite status. Up until…