The home of market intelligence for
the aviation and travel industry.

Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) Asia Pacific reported (13-Aug-2026) 4% of take-off and landing slots at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport for the northern summer 2026 scheduling period from late Mar-2026 to the end of Oct-2026 have been cancelled. ACL Asia Pacific stated slot numbers are "down in key markets on initial allocations" for the period owing to "the Middle East conflict impacting regional aviation hubs and sending the global fuel price soaring". International services recorded the largest decline with 6% cancelled, whilst domestic slots are down 3% for the period. The highest cancellation rates are for carriers servicing China (24%), Qatar (24%), the United Arab Emirates (22%), India (32%), the Philippines (18%) and Vietnam (12%). ACL Asia Pacific reported that whilst "no region has escaped unscathed", some destinations have benefitted from increased services to meet demand caused by altered travel patterns - with Malaysia recording a 3% increase in slots to cater for increased demand from European-bound travellers avoiding Middle East hubs. Slots to Thailand rose marginally while Vanuatu (7%) and Canada (7%) saw substantial slot increases. Airlines also added capacity on services connecting Sydney travellers to Europe, including Italy and France via Perth, as passengers increasingly sought alternatives to Middle East hubs and airspace affected by the conflict. ACL Asia Pacific stated that despite current scheduling adjustments, it is seeing "strong demand for international take-off and landing slots" at the airport for the six months starting at the end of Oct-2026 - with preliminary data showing international airline slot demand increasing by 6% year-on-year as domestic slot demand remains stable. ACL Asia Pacific coordination manager Darren Batty stated: "While airlines are responding to fuel costs and geopolitical uncertainty in the short term, demand for access to Sydney remains strong", adding: "What we're seeing is airlines adapting their networks to changing market conditions and the increase in slot requests for the next scheduling period is a positive indication of Sydney's ongoing importance to global airline networks". [more - original PR]

Air Niugini provided (13-Aug-2026) the following temporary changes to services at Mount Hagen Kagamuga Airport, Hoskins Airport and Kiunga Airport, owing to major runway rehabilitation and upgrade works being undertaken by the National Airports Corporation:

• Mount Hagen:
  • Works require all services to operate using Dash 8-200/300 aircraft, with these restrictions expected to remain in place until Oct-2026, when project progress allows for the return of larger Q400 and Fokker aircraft. The runway works are scheduled for completion in early Dec-2026, after which the airport will be capable of handling Air Niugini's A220 and Boeing 737 aircraft;
  • To minimise the impact of capacity reductions at Mount Hagen, Air Niugini has increased Port Moresby-Goroka frequency from twice to three times daily using Fokker and Q400 equipment;
• Hoskins:
  • Works will restrict operations to Dash 8 aircraft until mid Sep-2026, when the runway will be reopened to larger Q400 equipment. The airport will be capable of handling Air Niguini's A220 and 737 aircraft upon completion of all airport upgrade works later in 2026;
• Kiunga:
  • Services are scheduled to resume on 27-Sep-2026 following the completion of runway rehabilitation works. Services were suspended in Jan-2026 to facilitate the project, which will enable larger Q400 aircraft to operate at the airport. [more - original PR]

Airlink (South Africa) and Qatar Airways announced (13-Aug-2026) plans to expand their codeshare agreement to include Qatar Airways' Doha-Cape Town, Doha-Durban and Doha-Johannesburg services, effective 31-Aug-2026. Doha will be Airlink's first long haul destination. The agreement will be further expanded over the coming months to include additional destinations in Qatar Airways' network. The airlines entered a codeshare agreement covering Airlink domestic and regional services in 2022. Qatar Airways acquired a 25% shareholding in Airlink in 2024 and the airlines entered a loyalty partnership in early 2025. [more - original PR]

Australia's Government approved (14-Aug-2026) the Master Plan 2045 for Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. The plan forecasts more than 72 million annual passengers at the airport by 2045, comprising 36.4 million international and 36.2 million domestic and regional passengers. The airport's annual economic contribution is expected to grow to approximately AUD70 billion (USD49.4 billion), with direct employment to increase to more than 105,000 jobs. The plan includes a proposed redevelopment of the airport's domestic precinct including plans to bring together domestic, regional and international services through a new integrated terminal experience. It also incorporates the airport's five year environment strategy, which outlines actions to reduce emissions, build climate resilience and support more sustainable airport operations. Airport CEO Scott Charlton stated: "This plan ensures we can continue supporting tourism, trade, investment and jobs while delivering the capacity needed for future generations. Importantly, it provides a framework for growing sustainably and responsibly, minimising environmental impacts and working closely with the communities surrounding the airport". [more - original PR - Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport] [more - original PR - Australia's Department of Infrastructure]

SkyFive and Bluebox Aviation Systems announced (12-Aug-2026) a partnership to combine SkyFive's inflight connectivity platform with Bluebox's Blueview inflight entertainment, retail and passenger engagement platform. Bluebox will provide the inflight entertainment, advertising, retail and order-to-seat layer across the SkyFive system, delivered through integration with SkyFive's OpenServer platform or through the Blueview Cloud ground hosted digital services platform. The system enables airlines to deliver services such as personalised content recommendations, advertising, order-to-seat retail with live payments, and onboard commerce. The companies aim to deliver stronger ancillary revenue opportunities for airlines through air-to-ground inflight connectivity, particularly for LCCs and carriers in "unconnected" markets such as China, India and Southeast Asia. [more - original PR]

Heart Aerospace completed (13-Aug-2026) the first flight of the Heart X1 electric aircraft at Plattsburgh International Airport on 12-Aug-2026. The company stated the aircraft is "the largest battery-electric aircraft ever flown". Heart Aerospace is targeting entry into service for its 30 seat ES-30 hybrid-electric aircraft in 2031. Flight testing for the ES-30 is scheduled to commence in 2028. [more - original PR] [more - Aviation Week]