InterLnkd has partnered with Viasat to offer the provider’s airline customers access to AirMall – the first full-scale digital inflight shopping mall – giving carriers a new way to monetise their onboard Wi‑Fi investment. Viasat is a global leader in satellite communications providing inflight broadband connectivity to more than 60 airlines worldwide. Announced at the World Aviation Festival in Lisbon, the agreement will see AirMall available on Viasat’s Connected Partner Platform, which hosts curated applications, allowing Viasat airline customers to opt in to a global retail channel that connects travellers to more than 20,000 brands in the air.

The Cathay Group has announced the launch of daily non-stop flights between Hong Kong and Changsha, beginning November 4, 2025. The new service marks the airline group’s fifth Chinese Mainland destination added this year, expanding its network in the region to 24 cities.

World Aviation Festival 2025, the global stage for aviation innovation, strategy and transformation, took off yesterday in Lisbon. Until October 9th, more than 4,500 global leaders from across the aviation industry will gather at the Feira Internacional de Lisboa, while over 600 speakers, including CEOs and other C-Level executives of the biggest aviation players, will share their expertise on stage. Visitors will also be able to meet and learn about the latest developments in aviation from more than 400 travel tech companies in the exhibition area. In the more than 85 sessions celebrated on the first day of the event, speakers have covered topics including artificial intelligence, sustainability, digital transformation, cybersecurity, regulation, diversity, disruption management, and loyalty programmes.

At the World Aviation Festival 2025, DerbySoft, an innovative global technology company dedicated to accelerating travel commerce, introduced its Global Data Network (GDN) for Flights — a next-generation distribution model designed to move flight distribution from centralized systems to a decentralized, API-first network. AirAsia Group (AirAsia) was announced as the first airline group to join the GDN.

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, celebrated the relaunch of its direct flights from Bahrain International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York, marking a move that reflects the depth of the longstanding friendship and strategic cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States of America. This milestone event highlights the commitment of both countries to strengthening ties and strategic partnership, opening up new horizons for developing relations in various commercial, cultural, and tourism sectors. It also reinforces Gulf Air’s position as a key player in connecting Bahrain to global markets, further supporting economic growth and expanding opportunities for trade and cultural exchange between the two nations, thus bolstering Bahrain’s status as a vital aviation hub on the international map.

flynas, the leading low-cost airline in the world and the best LCC in the Middle East, celebrated launching direct flights between Dammam and Damascus, as of October 3, to further expanding its network and enhancing air connectivity between the two sisterly countries in alignment with national objectives in the tourism and aviation sectors and in line with Vision 2030. As of October 3, flynas started operating three weekly flights between King Fahad International Airport in Dammam and Damascus International Airport, after becoming the first Saudi airline to resume flights to Damascus last June.