✈️ [2026-10-26] SKYTICAL Afternoon Aviation BriefingBETA
Some information is not yet complete. This edition summarizes the aviation developments currently confirmed.
🚨 Safety events & emergencies
No new aviation developments in this category appear in the articles collected for this edition.
🇹🇼 Taiwan aviation (civil + military)
EVA Air Reports Record Nine-Month Revenue as High Fuel Prices Impact Profits:EVA Air General Manager Sun Chia-ming stated that while increases in passenger fares and cargo freight rates have driven overall revenues to record highs, rising jet fuel costs remain the largest variable affecting annual profitability. Due to geopolitical risks, international jet fuel prices previously reached approximately $177 per barrel, significantly impacting industry operating margins. EVA Air Reports Record Nine-Month
Event photo ·長榮航提供
Starlux launches Taichung–Nagoya route, 4 weekly flights rising to daily in November:Starlux Airlines inaugurated its Taichung–Nagoya route today, operating four weekly flights initially and increasing to a daily service from November, bringing the carrier’s Taichung departures to 66 weekly flights. Starlux launches Taichung Nagoya
Event photo · Courtesy of STARLUX Airlines
🌐 International aviation industry news
American Airlines swaps its 84-mile South Bend bus for CRJ-700 jets — and halves departures:American Airlines has replaced buses with jets on the 84-mile (135 km) link between South Bend Regional Airport in Indiana and Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), switching to the aircraft link in October 2026, according to WNDU. Under the Landline arrangement, passengers checked in at the small airport, cleared TSA screening there and rode to a secure-side gate at O'Hare, with bags checked through to the final destination, and the coach carried a flight number and earned AAdvantage miles. The new service is operated by SkyWest Airlines as American Eagle with dual-class Bombardier CRJ-700 regional jets, offering three daily round trips and a blocked time of about 1 hour 15 minutes, roughly an hour and a half less than the bus. American Airlines swaps its 84-mile
Why every A350 flies on one engine: GE walked away from the A350-1000, leaving Rolls-Royce alone until 2030:Every Airbus A350 ever built flies with the same engine. Over more than a decade of production and with more than 60 airline customers, no operator has had a choice, a contrast with the Boeing 777 and 787 Dreamliner, which offer customers a choice between General Electric and Rolls-Royce engines. That outcome was not Airbus' preference: General Electric was prepared to supply an engine for the A350-900 and refused to build one for the stretched A350-1000, because the larger aircraft competes directly against the GE-powered Boeing 777. With GE unwilling to cover the full family, Rolls-Royce became the only manufacturer willing to develop an engine specifically for the aircraft, and the arrangement has since been locked in by contract through 2030. Why every A350 flies on one engine
File photo · Julian Herzog ( Website ) · CC BY 4.0
Lufthansa retires A340-600; Simple Flying lists remaining passenger A340s:Lufthansa officially retired its last Airbus A340-600 on 18 October 2026, ending more than two decades of commercial operation of the type with the airline. Lufthansa retires A340-600 Simple
File photo · 4300streetcar · CC BY 4.0
How the B-21 Raider compares to the B-2 Spirit, B-52 and B-1B — and why it wins every category:The United States Air Force has flown the same three bomber platforms for decades: the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress, the Rockwell B-1 Lancer and the Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit. Each has proved its relevance in recent operations, but each also carries a hard ceiling defined by structural age, survivability against peer-level threats, or an architecture that has become prohibitively expensive to upgrade. The Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider was designed to have no equivalent ceiling, and it is the Air Force's answer to all three problems at once. How the B-21 Raider compares to the
Emirates Wins Seven Weekly Dubai-Berlin Flights, Plans Initial 777-300ER Service:Simple Flying reported on October 25 that Germany approved daily Emirates services between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) in September 2026. Berlin would become the airline's fifth German passenger destination. Emirates Wins Seven Weekly
File photo · Acabashi · CC BY-SA 4.0
Frontier Airlines begins cabin retrofits, sets first‑class launch for early March:Frontier Airlines has begun cabin retrofits, installing eight first‑class seats per aircraft equipped with power outlets and Starlink Wi‑Fi. Frontier Airlines begins cabin