A trusted source of Asia-Pacific commercial aviation news and analysis


MARCH 2026

Week 12

Orient Aviation Daily Digest March 18, 2026

By Ryan Chase

 

News

British Airways returning to Melbourne

British Airways (BA) is adding a second destination in Australia next year with a daily one-stop offering from London Heathrow to Melbourne via Kuala Lumpur set to take off from January 9. Read More »


 


 

News

IATA projects air traffic demand to rise between 2.9% and 3.1% a year over next quarter century

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published new forecasts showing air travel demand is expected to reach between 19.5 trillion and 21.9 revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) by 2050, up from 9 trillion in 2024. Read More »


 

News

Air India 777-300ER returns to the skies after six-year grounding

Air India has completed the restoration of a 777-300ER which had been grounded for six years due to unserviceable systems and old parts. Read More »


 

News

AAPA says Asia-Pacific airlines facing increased operational risks amid ongoing conflicts

The Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) said shrinking safe pathways for air travel along the Asia-Europe air corridor have increased operational risks and costs for airlines. Read More »


 

News

Air China posts double-digit passenger growth for February

Air China flew 14.5 million passengers on its domestic, international and regional networks in February, up by 15.4% from the 12.6 million travellers it carried in the same month in 2025. Read More »


 

News

AirBorneo to add 737-800 operations from July

Malaysia-based AirBorneo will start flying three 737-800s on domestic and international routes from July this year. Read More »


 

Asia-Pacific Aerospace Briefs Today

Today’s briefs report news from Airbus, Atlas Air Worldwide and Eve Air Mobility. Read More »