Trivia 2026 (miscellaneous news)

Homo Aeroportus · Post by **Homo Aeroportus** » 21 Jan 2026, 11:50

AF1 has just got Feet Dry above Britanny.

No indication why the second VC-25 couldn't take over.

Possible promotion opportunities within the USAF top brass in the near future

H.A.

globetrotter · Post by **globetrotter** » 18 Feb 2026, 09:51

Korean Air Cargo wont be applying Cargo title on new livery one 777 is already in that look.

China Airlines has reintroduced full Chinese titles on its livery so far its only on a cargo 777 may be only for cargo fleet, titles are like hand painted effect from their original 1970s livery.

globetrotter · Post by **globetrotter** » 19 Feb 2026, 12:28

globetrotter wrote: 18 Feb 2026, 09:51 Korean Air Cargo wont be applying Cargo title on new livery one 777 is already in that look.

China Airlines has reintroduced full Chinese titles on its livery so far its only on a cargo 777 may be only for cargo fleet, titles are like hand painted effect from their original 1970s livery.

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/11953775

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/11978135

China airlines Cargo had also added Taiwan map silhouette in centre of C in the cargo title thats gone too, hail China.

globetrotter · Post by **globetrotter** » 21 Feb 2026, 06:46

Virgin Atlantic will launch its first Southeast Asian destination Phuket, Thailand in November, as a seasonal destination.

Homo Aeroportus · Post by **Homo Aeroportus** » 02 Mar 2026, 11:39

Seems D-AIMK was in AUH for maintenance since 06NOV25.

She had a 5-hour test flight last Thursday then something hit the fan in the region....

She took to the skies this morning heading back home, probably after a meeting with the insurance company as staying on the ground in AUH is not very healthy these days.

ETA EDDM is 18:09.
In Airbus language that means "Cold Beer .... Blue"

H.A.

Passenger · Post by **Passenger** » 02 Mar 2026, 15:58

Richard Quest - CNN's top aviation expert - ranks "The best passenger airplanes of all time".

And his number isn't an Airbus or a Boeing:

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/best-pas ... hard-quest

Post by **sn26567** » 02 Mar 2026, 23:24

Passenger wrote: 02 Mar 2026, 15:58 Richard Quest - CNN's top aviation expert - ranks "The best passenger airplanes of all time".

And his number isn't an Airbus or a Boeing:

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/best-pas ... hard-quest

His selection seems nevertheless heavily biased towards American planes...

Established02 · Post by **Established02** » 06 Mar 2026, 07:51

GROK: Flemish Airport "Jack-of-All-Trades" TCR Changes Hands in Billion-Euro Deal

On March 5, 2026, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) — a leading infrastructure investor and part of BlackRock — announced it has agreed to acquire TCR, the world’s largest independent lessor of airport ground support equipment (GSE). The seller is 3i Infrastructure plc, which is divesting its 71% stake for €1.14 billion (approx. $1.32 billion). The implied equity value is around €1.6 billion, with an enterprise value well above €2 billion. TCR’s management team is rolling over part of its shares and will invest alongside GIP in the new ownership structure. The deal is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close later in 2026.

What does TCR actually do? TCR (headquartered in Steenokkerzeel, right next to Brussels Airport) owns and manages a massive global fleet of specialised airport equipment: baggage tractors, pushback tugs, ground power units, loaders, and more. This equipment is essential for ground handlers to load/unload, tow, and prepare aircraft at the gate — both for passenger and cargo flights. TCR operates at more than 200 airports worldwide and is nicknamed the “manusje-van-alles van de luchthaven” (the airport’s jack-of-all-trades) in Belgium because no plane can turn around efficiently without this critical infrastructure. Why is this deal significant? It’s a classic infrastructure play: stable, long-term cash flows tied to global aviation growth.

GIP sees TCR as a strategic addition to its transport platform and a bet on the continued recovery and expansion of air travel.
For Belgium, TCR remains a key local player and major employer in the aviation cluster around Brussels Airport.

convair · Post by **convair** » 06 Mar 2026, 14:15

Nice development for this dynamic belgian company!

rwandan-flyer · Post by **rwandan-flyer** » 13 Mar 2026, 11:45

USA / Israel - Iran war impact on aviation

Air New Zealand slashes flights to save fuel costs

Air New Zealand is set to cancel around 1,100 flights over the next few months as it aims to cut fuel costs amid the ongoing Middle East crisis.

Speaking to RNZ, Air New Zealand CEO Nikhil Ravishankar said while no routes will be axed entirely, services will be reduced “proportionally across the board”. The airline earlier this week suspended its financial guidance due to the volatility in fuel prices. https://australianaviation.com.au/2026/ ... uel-costs/

In France, we have Volotea which will temporary suspend flights in April and May on some routes. On threads, some people have shared the reason. The statement of Volotea is in French says that;

Here is a summary. Due to the current situation in the Middle East we are forced to suspend some services in April and May. These adjustments are necessary to maintain stability in our short-term flight schedules. I guess the reasons are same that for Air New Zealand. The discussion is in French, but you can click on Translate to read the comment in English https://www.threads.com/@west_leer/post ... e0-&slof=1

In France Volotea is not a small airline. They have 10 bases: Lourdes, Rodez, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseilles, Nantes, Brest, Lille and Lyons. This year they will open 2 more bases: Limoges and Montpellier (my former home airport

). They operate 74 domestic routes and a total of 290 routes in France (domestic, Europe and North Africa)

globetrotter · Post by **globetrotter** » 14 Mar 2026, 20:34

UPS retired MD11F fleet in January.

lumumba · Post by **lumumba** » 30 Mar 2026, 20:40

With all the current wars, is there a risk that Qatar or Emirates could go bankrupt?
Because they must lose millions....

Even when the war ends, it will take a long time to return to equal traffic levels.

Aviation24.be