The United States Federal Aviation Administration published a mandatory airworthiness directive on 14 May 2026 requiring operators of all Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft to address an undocumented change in a key maintenance specification that could compromise emergency oxygen delivery during a cabin pressurisation failure. The directive takes effect on 18 June 2026, giving airlines fewer than five weeks to achieve compliance.
In a significant breakthrough for both US-China commercial aviation and Boeing’s strained global order book, President Donald Trump announced on 14 May 2026 that China had agreed to purchase 200 Boeing commercial aircraft. The deal, confirmed by Boeing on 16 May, represents the planemaker’s first major re-entry into the Chinese market in nearly a decade, having been effectively locked out following a combination of the 737 MAX crisis, diplomatic tensions, and successive tariff rounds. With Trump suggesting the order could ultimately rise to 750 aircraft, the agreement stands as one of the more consequential commercial outcomes of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Continue reading China Orders 200 Boeing Jets in Trump’s Trade Deal
The Federal Aviation Administration has announced eight projects that will be permitted to conduct electric air taxi operations — some as early as summer 2026 — as part of a newly created Integration Pilot Programme spanning 26 US states. The initiative marks the most significant regulatory step yet towards embedding eVTOL aircraft into mainstream commercial aviation.
Continue reading FAA Greenlights Electric Air Taxi Flights in 26 States