From the blog

#2026

9 articles tagged #2026.

A tiny bar labelled '~340 ordered here' dwarfed by a tall bar labelled '~17,000 already on backlog', captioned 'the show barely moved the needle', in Active Flights brand emerald on near-black.
Industry & Markets·

Farnborough 2026: the airshow where nobody wanted to sell you a plane

Once every two years the aviation world gathers to buy jets by the hundred. This year Boeing and Airbus mostly said no — not because demand is weak, but because they're sold out for years. The scarce thing at the airshow wasn't a customer. It was a delivery slot.

#farnborough#boeing#airbus#orders
Eight airport pins along a ground line with a dashed flight path arcing up to a glowing node labelled 'an airline?', captioned 'the missing piece of the empire', in Active Flights brand cyan on near-black.
Industry & Markets·

The airport king wants wings: is Adani about to launch an airline?

Adani runs eight of India's airports — and reportedly asked the government to scrap the one rule stopping it from owning an airline. Then it called the whole idea 'baseless.' Here's what's really going on, and why an airport empire might want a plane.

#adani#india#aviation#strategy
A tall 'unit revenue' bar beside a nearly flat 'capacity' bar with an up-arrow, under the identity RASM ÷ ASMs, captioned 'discipline: revenue per seat, not more seats', in Active Flights brand violet on near-black.
Industry & Markets·

The unit economics of an airline: what equity researchers model — and where the number comes from

Airline stocks turn on unit revenue and unit cost — RASM and CASM per available seat mile. In 2026, carriers are posting double-digit RASM growth on ~1% more capacity. The denominator under every one of those metrics is the schedule.

#investors#equity-research#unit-economics#rasm
A rising step line climbing from 13 to a highlighted 15 years, labelled 'oldest commercial fleet on record', with 'backlog ≈ 58% of the in-service fleet' beneath, in Active Flights brand blue on near-black.
Industry & Markets·

The oldest fleet in history: why aircraft won't retire — and where the value goes instead

While Farnborough fills with orders for jets that arrive in the 2030s, the global fleet has quietly aged to a record ~15 years. Retirements are deferred, the installed base is where the money is, and the schedule is where an aging fleet is won or lost.

#investors#fleet#leasing#mro
A profit bar cut nearly in half — the December $41B forecast beside a shorter $23B revised bar, the missing top shaded as fuel — with 'jet fuel $90 to $152 per barrel' below, in Active Flights brand amber on near-black.
Industry & Markets·

The 2026 fuel shock: airline profits halve, and the schedule becomes the margin defense

IATA now sees 2026 industry net profit at $23B — roughly half of last year — as jet fuel jumps from $90 to $152 a barrel. Demand is still strong and carriers are beating estimates. For investors, the gap between the two is the whole story.

#investors#fuel#margins#2026
A chart showing demand dipping while load factor holds at a record, with regional divergence bars, in Active Flights brand blue on near-black.
Industry & Markets·

Softer demand, fuller planes: reading IATA's mid-2026 numbers

In May 2026 global air travel demand actually fell year-on-year — yet load factors hit a record for the month. That apparent contradiction says a lot about how tight, and how regional, the 2026 network has become.

#iata#demand#load-factor#2026
A load-factor gauge filled to 83.8% beside a grid of mostly-occupied seats, in Active Flights brand cyan on near-black.
Industry & Markets·

The 2026 capacity squeeze: fuller planes, thinner margins, and the pressure on schedule data

Airlines are flying at record load factors on a ~3.9% net margin while new aircraft stay scarce. When every seat counts this much, the schedule is where efficiency is won or lost.

#capacity#load-factor#market#2026
Four industry forces — capacity, fleet delays, fuel costs, distribution change — converging as arrows onto a schedule-data core, in Active Flights brand emerald on near-black.
Industry & Markets·

Why now: the 2026 forces converging on schedule data

Capacity discipline, a decade-long fleet backlog, a permanent fuel premium, and a slow distribution overhaul are all landing at once. Each, independently, raises the value of getting schedule data right.

#market-forces#2026#investors#timing
A world map dotted with coordinated-airport markers over a schedule grid, in Active Flights brand blue on near-black.
Aviation·

395 coordinated airports: the 2026 slot picture

Nearly 400 airports worldwide restrict who can operate and when in 2026, and around 43% of global departures leave a slot-coordinated field. Here's the 2026 landscape — and why a published schedule and its slot holdings have to agree.

#airport-slots#coordination#wasg#capacity