Airbus has taken a further step toward the development of autonomous refueling of aircraft by flying a formation of adapted target drones close to a tanker
The modified Arcus-J glider made its initial self-propelled takeoff from Minden, Nevada—home of the Perlan 2 stratospheric glider project team—on Nov 8.
Launch of the stretched A220 earlier than 2026 would free production slots for the higher-margin A321 and A321XLR variants—but a few hurdles stand in the way.
With a new firm order for 30 Airbus A220-300s and purchase rights for a further 20, AirBaltic is positioned to grow its fleet to 100 of the type by 2030.
The Turkish agreement is one of two mega-orders Airbus has been expecting for Dubai; the other one, with Emirates for A350s, is still hanging in the balance.
Colombia’s largest airline, Avianca, is expanding at a fast pace after two of the country’s other carriers—Viva and Ultra Air—ceased operations this year.
Backed by recent major orders for the type, Airbus has decided monthly output of its most important widebody will increase to 10 aircraft per month in 2026.
