Articles by Kalum Shashi Ishara

NEWS Dec 30, 2025 Alaska Airlines and LATAM Formally Dissolve Codeshare Partnership Marking the end of an era in Pan-American aviation, Alaska Airlines has officially terminated its nearly decade-old codeshare and loyalty partnership with LATAM Airlines Group. The split, finalised in a formal filing to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on December 29, 2025, follows a phased winding down of reciprocal benefits that began earlier in the autumn. Read More →

NEWS Dec 30, 2025 Global Drone Wingman Programs Accelerate Toward Critical 2026 Milestones as Competition Intensifies The race to field operational autonomous "loyal wingman" drones is accelerating into overdrive as 2026 approaches, with the United States Air Force poised to make critical production decisions, Australia demonstrating combat capabilities with live weapons, and rival programs in Europe and Asia rapidly maturing. Read More →

NEWS Dec 30, 2025 Iraqi Basra Airlines Secures Air Operator Certificate In a milestone for the Iraqi aviation industry, the start-up carrier Basra Airlines (BSQ) has officially secured its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA). This certification, granted on December 30, 2025, elevates the carrier to a fully authorised operator, allowing it to transition from charter and test flights to scheduled commercial service. Read More →

ROUTES Dec 30, 2025 JetBlue Expands Midwest Footprint with New Daily Service Between New York-JFK and Cleveland JetBlue has officially announced a significant expansion of its Midwest network, confirming plans to launch daily nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE). Read More →

STORIES Dec 29, 2025 Lufthansa Technik Unveils Major ACJ318 Elite Upgrade Program Lufthansa Technik (LHT) has officially announced a comprehensive cabin and technical upgrade program for the Airbus ACJ318 Elite, breathing new life into the "smallest" member of the Airbus Corporate Jet family. Read More →

NEWS Dec 29, 2025 Two Pilots Killed in Tragic Mid-Air Collision Near Hammonton Municipal Airport A quiet Sunday morning in Atlantic County turned tragic when two helicopters collided mid-air, claiming the lives of two veteran pilots who were well-known in the local aviation community. The accident occurred on December 28, 2025, just miles from Hammonton Municipal Airport (N81). Read More →

NEWS Dec 29, 2025 FAA Finalises AD to Resolve A350 Flight-Control Hazard The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a final rule, Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2025-25-12, aimed at eliminating a critical "runaway" flight control hazard affecting the Airbus A350-900 and A350-1041 fleets. The directive, published today, December 29, 2025, mandates the installation of new flight-control software to prevent uncommanded surface movements that could lead to a loss of aircraft control. Read More →

STORIES Dec 29, 2025 How Drone Swarms Rewrote the Rules of Aviation For a century, aviation has been defined by the "Lone Wolf" model: one pilot, one aircraft, one mission. But as we close out 2025, that paradigm has officially collapsed. This year, the aviation industry didn't just see better drones; it witnessed the birth of collective intelligence. Read More →

NEWS Dec 24, 2025 US Air Force to Launch New Experimental One-Way Attack Drone Unit In a move that signals a tectonic shift in American airpower, the U.S. Air Force is preparing to stand up its first-ever experimental unit dedicated solely to "One-Way Attack" (OWA) drones. Read More →

NEWS Dec 24, 2025 Pentagon Alarm: China’s ‘Tailless’ 6th-Gen Fighter Prototypes Are Already Airborne The Pentagon’s annual 2025 China Military Power Report (CMPR), released this week, has sent a clear signal to Capitol Hill: the race for air dominance is no longer a one-horse race. For the first time, the U.S. Department of Defence has formally acknowledged the rapid progress of China’s sixth-generation fighter programs, highlighting the successful flight testing of multiple "novel tailless" stealth prototypes. Read More →