Gordon Smith

Icelandair is still in the red. Despite strong transatlantic demand and the collapse of local rival Play, it posted a loss for the second straight year. Yet traffic trends are improving, partnerships are expanding, and a more efficient fleet is on the way. Is Icelandair truly on the right track, or stuck in a structurally unforgiving market? We explore the outlook in this week’s feature story.

The Lufthansa Group has plenty of bright spots. Sadly, the airline bearing its name isn’t always one of them.

The initial 10-day shutdown of a U.S. commercial airport for unspecified “special security reasons” was highly unusual. The Trump administration has said the closure was necessary because a cartel drone breached U.S. airspace.

This is a smarter structure than its failed gamble in the 2010s – but success may hinge on filling three-leg itineraries in a market already saturated with one-stop Gulf competition.

El Al’s dominance delivered bumper profits – now it’s triggering a rare antitrust test of how far airlines can push pricing power during a crisis.

American Airlines once pitched a patient turnaround under Robert Isom. Now, with unions escalating pressure and results lagging rivals, the CEO is on the defensive.

Japan Airlines is back in the lead, at least for now. After losing its profit crown to All Nippon in the early post-Covid years, JAL outperformed its rival again in 2025. More importantly, both carriers are thriving despite a complex landscape of shrinking Chinese traffic, U.S. tariffs, and stiff competition. In this week’s feature story, we explain how Japan’s two airline giants are staying ahead.

Milano Cortina 2026 is testing whether modern mega-events can function without a single dominant transport hub.

Big widebody orders grab the headlines, but relatively modest deals such as this one can still have an outsized impact on regional markets.

This is the latest example of Qantas pulling back from its overseas minority investments to focus on its core Australian brands.