Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) is demonstrating stubborn resilience to global events despite a huge drop-off in passengers for the Middle East as a result of the war in Iran. On April 13, 2026, Heathrow Airport said it delivered year-on growth, welcoming 6.6 million passengers and describing its March 2026 performance as a “stand out month”. While the airport saw a 51% decrease in passengers traveling to and from the Middle East in March 2026, Heathrow saw demand shift across long-haul network. Passenger numbers for Asia and the Pacific increased by 31% in March 2026, and by 23% for Africa. Overall, globally…

WARSAW, Poland — Drawing on lessons from the Iran war, a study shows how Russia could force Lithuania into capitulation in 90 days with no soldiers crossing the border.Drafted by the Baltic Defense Initiative, a small think tank based in Vilnius, the scenario exposes specific vulnerabilities of the Lithuanian defense posture, with the aim to plug gaps as soon as possible.Fast-forward almost two years into the future, when the effects of right-wing, anti-European movements taking power in Europe meld with the fallout of a prolonged Iran war dragging Washington down, the scenario goes.“December 2027. Marine Le Pen withdraws France’s nuclear…

South African Airlines (SAA) is the latest carrier to announce that its CEO will be departing in a bizarre wave of industry bosses heading for the exit. On April 10, 2026, South African Airlines confirmed that CEO John Lamola had resigned and will leave the carrier withing the next few weeks. Lamola joined South African Airlines in July 2021 as a non-executive director and chairperson of the board, before stepping into the role as CEO in May 2022. The Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, in her capacity as shareholder representative and the airline’s board of directors, thanked Lamola for his…

German defense group Rheinmetall and Netherlands-based defense technology firm Destinus have agreed to establish a joint venture focused on manufacturing advanced missile systems, the two companies announced on April 13, 2026.  The venture, to be named Rheinmetall Destinus Strike Systems, is planned to be set up during the second half of 2026 and will be based in Unterlüß, Lower Saxony. Rheinmetall will hold a 51% stake, with Destinus retaining the remaining 49%. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.  The joint venture will manufacture, market and deliver cruise missiles and ballistic rocket artillery, combining Destinus’ system design and platform development with Rheinmetall’s industrial capacity for qualification and serial production.  Destinus brings combat-proven systems …

Brian Yutko, VP of Product Development for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Credit: Leeham News.April 13, 2026, © Leeham News: As Boeing considers its next new airplane, whatever it is, there is a plethora of issues that must be considered.Last week’s article outlined a high-level view of Boeing’s future airplane programs. Today, LNA details some specifics that Boeing must consider before launching a new airplane program.Brian Yutko, the VP of Product Development at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, declined to address any questions about new airplane development. However, at the retiree meeting of the Pacific Northwest chapter of AIAA (American Institute of Aeronautics and…

It’s no secret that airplanes undergo a lot of inspections. Commercial airliners typically undergo D-checks every six to 10 years and A-checks every four to six months. D-checks involve heavy maintenance like checking airframes and engines, whereas A-checks involve light maintenance like checking fluid levels and tire pressure. In addition to these routine inspections, most pilots do a basic walk-around before each flight to look for defects or potential mechanical issues. Fortunately, most airplanes are designed with inspection ports to streamline these inspections. Overview of Inspection Ports Inspection ports are openings built into an airplane’s skin or structure. They are…

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India has sharply increased export taxes on aviation turbine fuel (ATF), as the government aims to keep more fuel within the country and limit rising costs for local airlines. According to a notification issued by India’s Ministry of Finance on April 11, 2026, the export tax on jet fuel has been increased to 42 rupees per litre (about $0.50), up from 29.5 rupees per litre (about $0.35), with immediate effect. At the same time, export duties on diesel were also significantly raised, to 55.5 rupees per litre (approximately $0.66) from 21.5 rupees per litre (approximately $0.26). The latest increase marks…

Lufthansa is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary, and in the spirit of not straying too far from tradition, pilots at the airline are about to go on strike, causing major disruptions. This will be the second strike from pilots in around a month, and we also just saw a flight attendant strike. Ouch. Lufthansa pilots plan two-day industrial action Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), the union representing Lufthansa pilots, has announced that pilots (in both the passenger and cargo division) will be going on strike from 12:01AM on Monday, April 13, 2026, until 11:59PM on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Specifically, this applies…

Yikes, well this is one way to end your career… Icelandair pilot makes unauthorized flyover on final flight Media in Iceland is reporting on an incident that happened on Saturday, April 11, 2026. It involves Icelandair flight FI521, the 3hr18min flight that was operating from Frankfurt (FRA) to Keflavik (KEF) with a Boeing 757-200 that had the registration code TF-ISR. For the captain onboard, it was his final flight at the airline prior to retirement. It’s not unusual for there to be something special for pilots on their last flight, like a water cannon salute upon landing. However, this pilot…