MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Netherlands de facto dropping charges against Ukraine over the latter’s failure to close airspace over the zone of military conflict in Eastern Ukraine is a "blatant fact," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. "It is a blatant fact that the Netherlands has actually cleared Kiev of charges for not closing the airspace over the area of military actions in the Easter [...]

Mexican President-elect Andres Mannuel Lopez Obrador plans to cancel a $1.36 billion order for 8 MH-60R Seahawk helicopters for the country's Navy. The gunships, intended for use to counter the drug trade, are just too expensive, Obrador says. But are there more affordable alternatives with similar capabilities out there? [...]

Amid concerns that the US decision to withdraw from Iran nuclear deal will lead to the loss of close to $40 billion in contracts for Boeing and Airbus, Russian airplane builders have a historic opportunity to receive a new foreign market for its latest designs. On Tuesday afternoon, in a move condemned by Tehran, most of the US's allies and much of the international community, President Trump ann [...]

Aeroflot has been named the most powerful airline brand in the world by leading valuation and strategy consultancy, Brand Finance, with the Russian company “surprisingly” leaving reputable American and Gulf carriers behind. The young fleet's excellent safety record and sponsorship of football giant Manchester United, as well as successful marketing in Asia put Aeroflot ahead among nine global [...]

Ever wish you could choose your seatmate during a long flight? Russia's UTair Airlines will allow its passengers to pick who they sit beside. The company will tool up its mobile application with a new option so that UTair clientele can see the gender of co-passengers on the seat selection page. The step will reportedly help travelers find love in the air. [...]

Exports of Russian-produced aviation equipment surged by 46 percent in 2017 against the previous year, according to the latest report from the trade ministry. At the same time, production level in the sector grew by 12 percent to $7.538 billion. In 2017, Russian producers built and sold 133 planes and 213 helicopters, including SSJ-100 passenger planes, the twin-engine, two-seat fighter jet Su-30S [...]

A new terminal opened at Crimea’s Simferopol International Airport on Monday, when the spaceship-like complex welcomed its first flight from Moscow. The facility is located 6km from the old airport it replaces. It was built in 22 months and covers an area of 78,000 square meters. The hub can handle 3,650 passengers per hour or 6.5 million per year. The annual passenger flow is expected to gradua [...]

Israeli F-15 jets practicing for an air show for Israel’s Independence Day on April 19, startled residents who assumed the fighter jet activity above the Israeli capital was related to ongoing tensions with Syria just a week after Israel struck a Syrian airbase. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) made no prior announcement of the F-15 drills, which left residents in Tel Aviv struggling for an expl [...]

Russia has completed the development of small-caliber ammunition for its fifth generation fighter Su-57 (PAK FA). Russia’s fifth generation Su-57 fighter jets will be armed with the newly-designed Drel air bomb, the deputy head of the Techmash Concern, Alexander Kochkin said. [...]

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK Home Office explanations aggravate doubts about real reasons behind the search on board the Russian passenger aircraft in London, the Russian embassy in the United Kingdom said in a Saturday statement. "This is a clear attempt by the Minister to divert attention from the provocative actions by British law enforcement officers who have tried to search the aircraft without [...]

Russia’s L-44M amphibian plane was put to the hard test when it was made to belly-land on a snowfield and take off moments later. In a video, posted by the Samara-based aircraft maker Chaika, the dual-engine aircraft is seen coming in for landing and belly landing with its wheels up. [...]

A former pilot with the Ukrainian military, who was once accused of shooting down MH17 plane in 2014, has died in an apparent suicide. He was flying his Su-25 on a combat mission on the day of the tragedy. Vladislav Voloshin, the 29-year former pilot, died in his apartment in the city of Nikolayev on Sunday from a gunshot wound. [...]

Vietjet, a Vietnamese low-cost carrier commonly known as "bikini airline" has given its team of hot flight attendants a new way of providing its passengers with a pleasant journey. Vietjet, a low-cost carrier first launched in 2011, has unveiled a new route from Vietnam to India, despite causing controversy in 2012 when its five stewardesses all dressed in swimwear and danced for passengers midwa [...]

Australian engineer Peter McMahon has claimed that he has determined the location of fragments of Flight MH370, the Malaysian Airlines’ Boeing 777 that went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. According to the 64-year old Australian, who claims a 25-year record of catastrophe investigations, by thoroughly studying NASA and Google maps he has determined that the plane fragments are [...]

Indonesia finalizes a billion-dollar deal pertaining to the purchase of 11 Sukhoi Su-35 jets from Russia. According to Indonesian Defense Ministry spokesman Totok Sugiharto on Saturday, the contract, worth a total of $1.14 billion, was finalized by representatives from both countries in Jakarta. [...]

A passenger jet with over 160 on board slid off the runway in the Turkish city of Trabzon Saturday night and was left precariously perched atop a cliff edge, saved only by the freezing mud. "All 162 passengers, 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew have been disembarked safely from the aircraft. There has been no loss of life or injury to anyone on-board," [...]

A remarkable video has surfaced on the Russian section of YouTube, depicting a Russian Aerospace Forces Su-30SM fighter jet as it approaches and nearly flies into the cargo hold of an Il-76 delivering humanitarian supplies to Syria. [...]

A Russian interceptor has been scrambled to stop a rogue US fighter jet from actively interfering with an anti-terrorist operation, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It also accused the US of provoking close encounters with the Russian jets in Syria. [...]

The British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in Canada on Monday, September 18, with the row between Boeing and Bombardier on her agenda. Sputnik spoke to an expert who said the dispute could "escalate." Boeing claims huge Canadian government subsidies allowed them to sell a new fleet of planes at substantially less than the market price. [...]