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Air Premia, via its official Facebook, announced (07-Jul-2026) the signing of an interline agreement with Southwest Airlines. Air Premia stated the partnership allows passengers to access more than 120 routes across the US and North and Central America with a single ticket.

Etihad Airways and fastjet Zimbabwe signed (07-Jul-2026) a MoU to establish an interline partnership, codeshare agreement and frequent flyer partnership, effective for sales from 24-Aug-2026. The agreement enables Etihad customers to book onward travel to Harare, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls and Johannesburg on a single ticket. Etihad plans to commence Abu Dhabi-Harare service on 24-Mar-2027. [more - original PR]

General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA UAE) and Skyports Infrastructure announced (07-Jul-2026) VDX, the "world's first" purpose-built commercial vertiport, received regulatory certification for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft operations. The certification will enable the future commencement of commercial air taxi services in Dubai. VDX will serve as the first and primary hub within Dubai's planned air taxi network, with three additional vertiports currently under development. The network and vertiports are being developed by Skyports in collaboration with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority. The certification follows a GCAA assessment covering the vertiport's infrastructure, physical characteristics, operational procedures, safety management arrangements, emergency preparedness and regulatory compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. [more - original PR]

Zimbabwe's Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Zhemu Soda, via his official Twitter account, announced (07-Jul-2026) Air Zimbabwe plans to resume three times weekly Harare-London service by the end of Jul-2026. The airline will use A330-300 equipment leased from Plus Ultra Airlines, configured with 30 business and 272 economy class seats.

Air France opened (07-Jul-2026) a 750sqm lounge in Terminal 4 at London Heathrow Airport. The 150 seat lounge operates daily from 05:00 to 22:00 and serves Air France La Première and business class passengers, Flying Blue Elite Plus customers, and eligible KLM and SkyTeam alliance customers. [more - original PR]

European Parliament approved (07-Jul-2026) upgraded EU air passenger rights rules with 646 votes in favour, 12 against and three abstentions. Key provisions include:

• Compensation for flight delays exceeding three hours, with amounts ranging from EUR300 to EUR600 depending on flight distance;
• Automatic reimbursement if passengers choose refund over rerouting;
• Passengers facing travel disruptions will receive "clear instructions" on submitting compensation requests within four days of journey termination;
• Passengers have nine months to file compensation requests, while airlines have 30 days to pay compensation or invoke extraordinary circumstances and explain why compensation will not be provided;
• Passengers can take the return flight of a round-trip ticket even if they did not use the outbound flight, without incurring additional fees;
• One personal item plus one small piece of cabin luggage for free;
• Passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility will have the right to compensation, rerouting and assistance by airlines if they miss a flight due to the airport's failure to help them reach the gate on time;
• No seat selection fees for children under 14 years old sitting next to an accompanying adult.

The provisional agreement must be confirmed by the EU Council by early Aug-2026. The updated rules will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. EU member states and airlines will then have one year to prepare for implementation. [more - original PR]