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Hanan Mohammed Jawad and Bakhita Al Mheiri both rose through the Emirates Group’s National Cadet Pilot Programme, an initiative that has graduated numerous Emirati pilots.

Hanan Mohammed Jawad joined Emirates in 2008 through the cadet pilot programme, driven by ambition, passion, and a lifelong dream of taking to the skies. With strong mentorship and continued support from the airline’s fleet management, she steadily progressed through the ranks, building her career from the ground up.

Bakhita Al Mheiri began her journey with Emirates as a cadet pilot in 2011. Inspired by successful Emirati female pilots and driven by her passion for flying, Bakhita continued to achieve one milestone after another, building a strong and successful career with Emirates.

Hanan and Bakhita have both officially received their 4th stripe this year, becoming the first Emirati female captains at Emirates, both operating the Boeing 777 fleet. With many years of experience in their respective careers, they both reflect a determination as strong as ever, and their ambitions continue to reach new heights.

A message from Hanan and Bakhita to the next generation of aspiring female pilots: “Our leadership has long recognised women as essential partners in shaping our nation’s future, and Emirates is creating the environment and opportunities for women to thrive, and we will continue to build on this for future generations.”

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The new flight to the Dominican Republic marks ITA Airways’ entry into Central America and further strengthens its presence in the Americas. The airline already operates direct flights to the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Argentina, favourite destinations for Italian outbound travel and key inbound markets with large populations of Italian
descent.

The new route will operate from November 30th with one weekly frequency on Mondays, increasing to two weekly flights, adding Sundays, from December 14th through the end of March 2027. The service will be operated with Airbus A330neo aircraft, configured with three travel classes: Business, Premium Economy, and Economy.

“With Santo Domingo, we are strengthening our presence in the Americas and enhancing our offering to and from Rome Fiumicino with a highly attractive new destination,” said Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial, Network & Incentive Management Officer of ITA Airways. “This route is designed for our customers, who will be able to plan their winter
holidays with the convenience of a direct flight and the comfort of our Airbus A330neo. We are confident these flights will also be of great interest to our partners in the tourism industry, who can rely on a high-quality product. This new route is part of the ongoing development of our intercontinental network, one of the key pillars of the Company’s commercial strategy”.

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The new route will connect Caracas with JetBlue’s Fort Lauderdale focus city, a key gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, where the airline offers customers an extensive network of destinations across the region. The service is expected to support strong demand from customers visiting friends and relatives, providing South Florida travelers with a convenient new nonstop option to Caracas and seamless connections across JetBlue’s broader network.

JetBlue plans to operate the Caracas route using Airbus A320 aircraft offering the airline’s award-winning service, including fast, free, unlimited Fly-Fi, seatback entertainment at every seat and complimentary snacks and drinks.

“Fort Lauderdale continues to serve as JetBlue’s gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America, and we believe there is meaningful opportunity to expand our presence in the region with planned service to Caracas,” said Dave Jehn, vice president, network planning and airline partnerships, JetBlue. “South Florida is home to a large Venezuelan community, and this new route would help connect families and loved ones with JetBlue’s competitive fares and award-winning service.”

Growth in Fort Lauderdale

JetBlue continues to expand its presence in Fort Lauderdale, where the airline recently announced its largest-ever schedule from the airport, including 11 new destinations and additional flights on existing routes across the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean. With nearly 130 daily departures expected this summer, Fort Lauderdale has become one of JetBlue’s largest and most important gateways.

The proposed Caracas service would build on that growth by giving South Florida’s Venezuelan community another convenient way to stay connected with family and loved ones, while also expanding access to JetBlue’s broader network across the Americas.

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Before take-off, the inaugural flight was given a ceremonial send-off at Zurich Airport. Bernd Bauer (CEO of Edelweiss), Rolf Hancock (Vice President Aviation Development of Flughafen Zürich AG) and Matthias Lemcke (Director Europe of the Namibia Tourism Board) symbolically cut the ribbon at the gate together with the crew.

Edelweiss now flies to Windhoek twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays. From mid-July 2026, the service will be expanded to three weekly flights until the end of October. Flights will then operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

“Namibia fascinates with its unique combination of endless expanses, impressive landscapes, fascinating wildlife and a starry sky that is second to none. We are delighted to be able to offer our guests this exceptional travel destination nonstop from Zurich from now on,” says Bernd Bauer, CEO of Edelweiss.

With Windhoek, Edelweiss expands its offering in southern Africa and now provides its guests with a direct connection to one of the continent’s most impressive travel destinations.

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This new service operates 4 times per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday) and builds on the airline’s partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the most storied football franchises in the US.

The new route increases Aer Lingus’ North American network to 24 routes from Ireland, supporting its Dublin Hub strategy and strengthening connectivity between North America, Ireland, the UK and Europe.

The launch also builds on Aer Lingus’ strong ties with the city of Pittsburgh, where it serves as an Official Airline Partner of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In September 2025, the airline flew the team to Dublin for a historic, sold-out game at Croke Park. Additionally, in 2027, the Pitt Panthers will fly to Dublin to face the Wisconsin Badgers in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, taking place in Week Zero of the College Football calendar.

Renowned as the ‘City of Bridges,’ Pittsburgh features over 446 bridges within its boundaries. To celebrate the inaugural flight, Aer Lingus lit the city’s Three Sisters Bridges on the Allegheny River in green, white and orange. Dubbed a ‘Bridge to Ireland’, the creative illumination added even further ambiance to Pittsburgh’s famous skyline.

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The lightweight structure, located in Cargo City South, will provide approximately 6,400 square meters of space and accommodate maintenance work on either one Airbus A330 aircraft or two Airbus A32X family aircraft simultaneously.

With the new temporary hangar, Condor Technik will establish its first dedicated maintenance capabilities for the Airbus A330neo fleet at Frankfurt Airport. This will reduce reliance on external infrastructure while increasing flexibility in maintenance planning and execution.

“Modern aircraft require modern technical infrastructure. With this new temporary hangar, we are creating additional maintenance capacity for our fleet, strengthening our in-house technical expertise, and gaining greater operational flexibility at our Frankfurt base,” said Heiko Holm, Chief Technical Officer of Condor and Managing Director of Condor Technik GmbH. “This project is an important milestone in the continued development of Condor Technik and a clear commitment by Condor to the Frankfurt location.”

Since 2008, Condor Technik GmbH has served as Condor’s maintenance organization and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the airline. The company employs approximately 450 people across its locations in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Munich.

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Qatar Airways will serve the following destinations with increased flights:

Alexandria (HBE) – increased from 3 weekly flights to up to 7
Cairo (CAI) – increased from 28 weekly flights to up to 35
Cape Town (CPT) – increased from 7 weekly flights to up to 10
Dar es Salaam (DAR) – increased from 3 weekly flights to up to 7
Lusaka (LUN)-Harare (HRE) – increased from 5 weekly flights to up to 7
Maputo (MPM)-Durban (DUR) – increased from 4 weekly flights to up to 7

Flights to Port Sudan

Additionally, QR is launching 3-weekly flights to Port Sudan (PZU) from 2 July. Passengers travelling to Port Sudan from key markets in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, such as Oman and Pakistan, can make seamless transfers through Hamad International Airport.

Departing every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday:

– Doha (DOH) to Port Sudan (PZU) – Flight QR1319: Departure 09:00; Arrival 11:00
– Port Sudan (PZU) to Doha (DOH) – Flight QR1320: Departure 12:25; Arrival 16:20

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The MQ-28 Ghost Bat is designed to complement existing crewed aircraft by performing a variety of roles, including surveillance, electronic warfare, and force multiplication, all while maintaining a low radar profile. This milestone further demonstrates the platform’s maturity, survivability, and ability to deliver cost-effective advanced capability for modern air combat operations.

One way to measure the stealth of an aircraft is Radar Cross Section (RCS) testing. RCS testing was conducted on an MQ-28 to provide customers with objective, repeatable data about survivability and detection risks. This information validates designs and models, supports procurement and certification, and guides tactics and countermeasure choices.

The MQ-28’s RCS reduces the range that enemy radars can detect and engage an MQ-28, enhancing the platform’s survivability in contested environments. The success of the RCS testing confirms the effectiveness of the MQ-28’s design, production and material choices in minimising radar detection.

MQ-28 began development in 2017, took its first flight in 2021, and has completed more than 150 flights and several flight demonstrations, including:

– Demonstrating interoperability by teaming two in-flight MQ-28s plus one digital aircraft with an airborne E-7A Wedgetail to complete a mission against an airborne target
– Deploying to an unfamiliar location – an operational RAAF Base at Tindal
– Progressing airborne teaming with multiple MQ-28 aircraft
– Conducting daily flight operations during test blocks
– Teaming with an E-7A and an F/A-18F to autonomously fire, and shoot down, an airborne target.
– Logging its first three international operational flight tests in Point Mugu, California to validate autonomous operations, demonstrate rapid deployment and sustained operations from an allied location.

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Since the introduction of its first long-haul flights, Air Serbia has established direct services between Belgrade and important global destinations such as New York, Chicago, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, further entrenching Belgrade as a relevant point for connecting Europe with North America and China.

As an achievement of this successful expansion of the long-haul network, after a 34-year hiatus, direct flights between Belgrade and Toronto have been resumed, which is a historic step for connecting Serbia with its numerous diaspora and responding to long-standing market demands.

“Reaching the one millionth passenger on long-haul flights is an important moment for our airline, and confirms the trust that our passengers have given us for nearly a decade. We are immensely pleased that we are marking this milestone during a period of expansion of our network – just a few days ago, we re-established direct Belgrade-Toronto flights, after a 34-year hiatus, and we will also soon mark the 10th anniversary of the New York service. The new Toronto service is especially important, considering the numerous diasporas, as well as the demand for a direct connection that has existed for a long time. Such network development offers passengers better connectivity with crucial destinations around the world,” said Jiří Marek, CEO of Air Serbia.

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The aircraft was flown by Experimental Test Pilots Thomas Wilhelm and Anthony Flynn, together with Test Flight Engineer Laurent Rossignol. In addition, Lead Flight Test Engineers Tuan Do and Alexia Plumet were onboard, as well as Ground Test Engineer Vincent Frayssinet.

During the first flight, the crew carried out general aircraft performance checks and tested the new fuel system architecture. This marks the start of a 2-month flight test campaign to certify the modifications. In addition, a new galley air cooling system will also be certified, which features lighter and more efficient refrigeration units for very long flights. The ventilation and temperature control of the cabin will also be thoroughly tested. Following the flight test campaign, MSN 707 will be retrofitted to Qantas’ commercial specifications.

The second A350-1000ULR to be produced for Qantas and the first scheduled to be delivered to the airline in April 2027 is now at an advanced stage of final assembly and ready to roll out of the paint shop in the coming days. This will be followed by completion of the premium 4-class cabin layout and engine installation.

Project Sunrise and A350-1000ULR

The A350-1000ULR is being developed for Qantas Airways to enable non-stop flights between Sydney and London for the first time ever – a distance of almost 10,000 nautical miles, with flight times of up to 22 hours. This is made possible primarily by the integration into the aircraft structure of an additional rear centre tank (RCT), enhancing further the aircraft performance and increasing the range of the aircraft by 1,000 nautical miles.

The A350-1000ULR is the 4th passenger variant of the best-selling A350 Family, joining the A350-900, A350-900ULR and the A350-1000. The passenger line-up will soon be joined by the all-new A350F freighter, also currently under development at Airbus, with first flight planned later this year.

At the end of April 2026, the A350 Family had won 1,579 orders from 68 customers, with over 700 aircraft flying with 41 operators, primarily on long haul services across the globe.

Qantas has ordered 12 A350-1000ULRs under Project Sunrise, designed to overcome one of the last frontiers in non-stop travel from Australia. In addition, the carrier also has 12 standard A350-1000s on order for future operation across its long haul network.

Photos: Airbus, Eurospot x.com/cliper31