Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) welcomed Porter Airlines as its newest airline partner this week, celebrating the launch of the carrier’s inaugural nonstop service between Austin and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). The new route marks an important step in strengthening international connectivity between Central Texas and Toronto, while expanding Porter’s growing North American network.

The year-round service will operate five times weekly, providing travelers across the Austin region with a direct connection to Toronto, while opening the door to onward travel across Porter’s Canadian Network. For businesses, universities, and visitors traveling between the two cities, the route creates new opportunities to build stronger economic and cultural ties between Texas and Canada.

Flights will be operated on the modern Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, offering Porter’s signature elevated economy experience. Passengers enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages, including beer and wine served in real glassware, free high-speed Wi-Fi, power outlets at every seat, and a comfortable cabin layout with no middle seats.

Toronto offers travellers access to one of North America’s most vibrant cities, known for its thriving arts and culinary scenes, world-class entertainment, and international business presence. Visitors can experience landmarks such as the CN Tower, explore the waterfront along Lake Ontario, or take a short trip to nearby destinations like Niagara Falls.

An event was held at AUS to mark the inaugural departure, bringing together airport leadership, airline representatives, community partners and passengers traveling on the first flight.

Welcoming Porter Airlines to AUS is an exciting milestone for our airport and the Central Texas region, said Ghizlane Badawi, Chief Executive Officer of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Each new international connection strengthens Austin’s role as a global destination and supports the economic vitality of our community. This service to Toronto provides our passengers with another seamless travel option while also inviting new visitors to discover everything that makes Austin unique.

Austin is one of North America’s most dynamic and fastest-growing cities, making it an ideal fit for Porter’s own growing network of flights. This route opens exciting new opportunities for business, tourism and cultural exchange between the two vibrant cities, said Kevin Jackson, President, Porter Airlines. We look forward to welcoming Central Texas travellers onboard and introducing them to Porter’s elevated flying experience.

With the addition of Porter Airlines, AUS continues to expand its international network while supporting the region’s growing demand for global travel and connectivity.

In May 2026, Latvian airline airBaltic marks the 10th anniversary of the route between its home base in Riga, Latvia and Reykjavík, Iceland. The airline currently operates up to four weekly flights on this route, offering customers convenient and flexible travel options for holidays, work trips, or onward connections.

Mantas Vrubliauskas, VP Network Management at airBaltic: Reykjavík is one of the most unique destinations in our network, offering a remarkable opportunity to experience Iceland’s stunning nature while also serving as a convenient transit point to destinations in the United States with our partner airlines. Over the years, this route has become increasingly popular, contributing to strengthening the connection between Latvia and Iceland.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our long-term partners, RIX Riga Airport and Keflavík Airport, for their continued cooperation and support of airBaltic’s growth, Vrubliauskas added.

Grétar Már Garðarsson, Director of Airline Relations & Marketing at Keflavik Airport: Our partnership with airBaltic has built an important connection between Iceland and the Baltic States, one that has been well received over the past decade. It has not only made travel between Iceland and Latvia easier, but also opened the door to a wide range of connections across Europe and beyond. It’s a pleasure to look back on these ten years of successful cooperation, which has become firmly established at Keflavik Airport. We’re grateful for the partnership and look forward to building on this strong foundation in the years ahead.

Since the inaugural flight back in May 2016, airBaltic has carried more than 200 thousand passengers on this route and operated nearly two thousand flights.

airBaltic is the largest airline in the Baltics, operating one of Europe’s youngest fleets with modern Airbus A220-300 aircraft. Committed to providing passengers with a comfortable and enjoyable travel experience, the airline is the first European carrier to offer free high-speed SpaceX Starlink internet on its flights, with plans to equip its entire fleet. In addition, airBaltic offers both Economy and Business Class on all scheduled flights, allowing customers to choose the option that best suits their travel needs.

Over the past 30 years, airBaltic has evolved into a globally respected carrier. Now the airline is connecting the Baltic States to 80 destinations across Europe and beyond, providing essential infrastructure and global connectivity for the region. A complete schedule of airBaltic flights and tickets are available on the company’s homepage at

Air India’s elevation from 3-star to 4-Star status follows a comprehensive transformation spanning fleet modernisation, product upgrades, digital innovation, on-ground experience, and service culture enhancements, among several other aspects combining to deliver a significantly improved passenger experience across touchpoints.

The transformational changes have also translated into a consistently improving customer feedback and sentiment. Air India’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) – a key measure of customer advocacy – has improved by more than 70 points, rising from -35 in late 2022 to nearly +40 today, reflecting tangible gains in areas that matter most to passengers. On Air India’s flagship A350s and B787-9s, the NPS is consistently in the high 60s.

Skytrax is the world’s leading international air transport rating organisation, and its star ratings are widely regarded as a global benchmark for airline quality. The 4-Star Airline Rating recognises airlines delivering strong, consistent performance across product and service throughout the customer journey.

Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Air India, said: This 4-Star rating from Skytrax is an important recognition of the progress we have made in transforming Air India into a more modern, customer-focused airline. This achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work of over 24,000 Air India employees who have embraced this transformation with commitment and pride. While this milestone reflects how far we have come, it also strengthens our resolve to continue raising the bar, with a clear ambition to achieve a 5-Star rating in due course as we build a world-class global airline with an Indian heart.

The Skytrax audit evaluates the entire customer journey, covering airport processes, lounge experience, onboard product, food and beverage, and the quality and consistency of service. The 4-Star certification reflects holistic, sustained improvements across all touchpoints, rather than isolated enhancements.

Fleet upgrades: At the core of Air India’s transformation is an ambitious fleet modernisation programme, including the induction of India’s first Airbus A350 as well as brand-new Boeing 787-9s with made-for-Air India interiors, the completed retrofit and return to service of 27 retrofitted A320neo with all-new cabin interiors, and the ongoing retrofit of nearly 40 retrofitted legacy Boeing 787-8 and Boeing 777 now underway. In just four years, Air India’s upgraded fleet has grown to over 120 aircraft, 66% of its full-service fleet, significantly enhancing passenger experience across its network.

On the ground: Air India has reimagined its airport and lounge experience, with new, redesigned lounges in Delhi, Bengaluru, and San Francisco, with more to follow in other parts of the world. Across airports, improvements such as streamlined boarding, self-service check-in, and digital tools have made journeys more seamless.

Reimagined onboard experience: The airline has also comprehensively redesigned its onboard experience. Every cabin crew member has undergone rigorous retraining to the standards of the new Air India, alongside the induction of over 5,000 newly recruited cabin crew. This is complemented by a complete refresh of the soft product, including inflight meals and beverages, bedding, amenities, and more. Air India’s new inflight entertainment system now offers over 3,000 hours of content on all new and upgraded widebody aircraft, while on narrowbody aircraft, more than 1,250 hours of content is available via Vista Stream, its wireless inflight entertainment service. Inflight connectivity is also being progressively introduced, bringing onboard internet connectivity to customers.

Digital infrastructure and customer support: A complete overhaul of the airline’s digital & IT infrastructure and customer support system has also delivered step-change improvements – introducing an all-new website and a mobile p that stands among the highest-rated airline ps globally, a unified platform supported by a generative AI chatbot handling over 14 million interactions, reducing call wait times at the airline’s customer contact centre to around 10 seconds, and enabling faster refunds and issue resolution.

Air Serbia hit a significant milestone in its operations: carrying one million passengers on its long-haul network since the launch of intercontinental operations in 2016.

This milestone confirms the national carrier’s stable growth and continuous demand for faraway destinations, as well as Air Serbia’s increasingly pronounced role in improving international connections for Serbia and the region.

Since the introduction of its first long-haul flights, Air Serbia has established direct services between Belgrade and important global destinations such as New York, Chicago, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, further entrenching Belgrade as a relevant point for connecting Europe with North America and China. As a crowning achievement of this successful expansion of the long-haul network, after a 34-year hiatus, direct flights between Belgrade and Toronto have been resumed, which is a historic step for connecting Serbia with its numerous diaspora and responding to long-standing market demands.

Reaching the one millionth passenger on long-haul flights is an important moment for our airline, and confirms the trust that our passengers have given us for nearly a decade. We are immensely pleased that we are marking this milestone during a period of expansion of our network – just a few days ago, we re-established direct Belgrade-Toronto flights, after a 34-year hiatus, and we will also soon mark the tenth anniversary of the New York service. The new Toronto service is especially important, considering the numerous diasporas, as well as the demand for a direct connection that has existed for a long time. Such network development offers passengers better connectivity with crucial destinations around the world, said Jiří Marek, CEO of Air Serbia.

Atlas Air Worldwide (Atlas) today announced it has signed a Share Purchase Agreement to acquire a 49% minority equity stake in Air Atlanta, a leading global provider of ACMI and aircraft management services headquartered in Iceland with operating platforms in both Iceland and Malta. This transaction establishes a strategic partnership that expands Atlas’ global operating platform and enhances access to widebody cacity in key international markets.

Atlas Air Worldwide Announces Strategic Investment in Air AtlantaAtlas, through its Titan Aviation Holdings subsidiary, is separately acquiring the aircraft owned by the Air Atlanta group of companies and will lease the aircraft back to the Air Atlanta airline companies for continued operation. Air Atlanta operates a fleet of 14 widebody freighters, including Boeing 747 and 777 aircraft, and also operates four passenger 777 aircraft.

This transaction reflects Atlas’ disciplined proach to strategic growth in a structurally constrained widebody freighter aircraft market, and it further advances our One Atlas strategy said Michael Steen, Chief Executive Officer, Atlas Air Worldwide. By combining Atlas’ global commercial platform with Air Atlanta’s complementary operating model and European-based footprint, we are expanding access to cacity and further strengthening our ability to serve customers worldwide and deliver value to our stakeholders. Air Atlanta has built a strong reputation over decades of operations, and we are excited to partner with their excellent team. Together, we believe this partnership will strengthen both organizations and position us for continued success in the evolving global aviation market.

Air Atlanta will continue to operate under its existing leadership team and operating structure, while both companies collaborate commercially to pursue incremental global growth opportunities. Following completion of the transaction, the continuing Air Atlanta management team will retain a 51% controlling interest in the airline operating companies.

We are pleased to partner with Atlas in a transaction that strengthens our long-term growth trajectory while accelerating our position as a leading European widebody ACMI operator, said Baldvin M. Hermannsson, Chief Executive Officer, Air Atlanta. We strongly believe in the future growth potential of Air Atlanta, especially with the strategic partnership we are entering into with Atlas today. We will have wider market reach and be better positioned to deliver flexible, high-performing cacity solutions for our existing and future customers.

After many years dedicated to building Air Atlanta, I am proud to see the company enter its next chter, said Hannes Hilmarsson, Executive Chairman of the Air Atlanta Group, who will step down after 20 years in leadership roles with the Company. I leave the business in excellent hands with the existing management team and with Atlas as the perfect partner for the future. Together, they provide a strong platform for continued growth and expansion.

The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to regulatory provals and closing conditions.