Bombardier today celebrated fleet operator Vista, a longtime Bombardier customer, taking possession of its first Global 8000 aircraft at the company’s London Biggin Hill Service Centre. With this addition, Vista customers will soon be treated to the finest experience in business aviation today. This introduction marks the beginning of upgrades to Vista’s current Global 7500 aircraft, with two per month planned leading to the full fleet of 18 being operational as Global 8000 jets by year end and in turn marking the largest subscription fleet available of this revolutionary jet.

Wizz Air, a leading airline in Central and Eastern Europe, and HTS, a leading global travel technology platform, today announced a partnership to integrate a new solution to help customers navigate disruptions on wizzair.com and the Wizz Air app. Wizz Air, which aims to carry around 80 million passengers in 2026, is now the first European carrier to offer HTS’ novel rebooking service – Disruption Assistance. This product offers real-time rebooking options when disruptions occur and does not yet fall into the scope of EC261 regulation[1], helping travelers get to their final destination, saving time and money.

Emirates’ flagship A380, long celebrated as one of aviation’s most iconic aircraft, is set to reach new heights as the first installation of next-generation Starlink Wi-Fi onboard has just been completed. The Emirates A380 was one of the first commercial aircraft in the world to offer internet to its customers, with first generation systems offering a total aircraft bandwidth of less than 1 Mbps.  Emirates’ installation of three Starlink antennas on each A380 will improve the Wi-Fi available onboard a thousand-fold - offering a ‘better than at home’ connectivity experience for customers, while flying at 40,000 feet.

Last Thursday evening in Cologne, numerous guests from the worlds of politics, the aviation industry, local society, and sports gathered for a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the first Lufthansa. The Mayor of Cologne had hosted a reception at the Historic City Hall. Cologne Mayor Torsten Burmester: “Cologne is proud to have played a major role in Lufthansa’s corporate history since World War II. Cologne is growing as an aviation hub, because in addition to being home to the headquarters of EASA and the DLR, as well as the prospect of a European space hub, Cologne/Bonn Airport is the cargo hub of Western Europe. I hope that the relationship between Cologne and Lufthansa will intensify again even beyond this anniversary year. I therefore congratulate all Lufthansa employees from the bottom of my heart on the company’s 100th anniversary.”

Virgin Atlantic has announced the launch of an accredited Autism Awareness training programme for its cabin crew, developed in partnership with autism travel specialists, Autism Double-Checked. The programme forms part of the airline’s ongoing commitment to inclusive travel and supporting customers with non-visible disabilities. Launching this May, the mandatory digital training consists of two modules - one covering general autism awareness, and a second designed specifically for the cabin crew role with a focus on the inflight experience. All cabin crew will complete both as part of their annual recurrent learning, giving every crew member the confidence and practical tools to support autistic customers onboard, from recognising sensory sensitivities and signs of distress, to adapting how they communicate and providing reassurance throughout the journey. Virgin Atlantic also plans to extend the training to all customer-facing ground teams in 2026, ensuring consistent support at every stage of the travel experience.

IHG Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel companies, and All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. (ANA), Japan’s largest airline, today announced a comprehensive loyalty partnership, setting a new benchmark for hotel-airline loyalty collaboration in the travel industry. Launching after October, IHG One Rewards and ANA Mileage Club (AMC) members will gain access to benefits including an enhanced loyalty and recognition offer for AMC members, double dip points-earning on select ANA flights, and two-way points exchange of ANA miles and IHG One Rewards points. Through this partnership, members can earn and redeem rewards across ANA’s extensive international network serving 40 cities and 55 routes worldwide, as well as across IHG’s global hotel portfolio of over 7,000 hotels in more than 100 countries.