cahill’s aviation news round up Aviation Weekly | 11 - 18 Feb 2026 The third week of February 2026 has been marked by a massive "Pivot to Asia" and the formal confirmation of one of the decade's most anticipated low-cost long-haul routes. 🚀 The Big Story: AirAsia X’s "Bahrain Bridge" (Confirmed) On February 12 , AirAsia X officially firmed up its return to the UK market, confirming the rumours from last week. The Route: Kuala Lumpur (KUL) ↔ Bahrain (BAH) ↔ London Gatwick (LGW) Frequency: Daily service using the Airbus A330-300 fleet. Strategy: By establishing Bahrain as a "Fifth Freedom" hub, AirAsia X is circumventing the range limitations of its A330s. This creates a new low-cost corridor connecting Southeast Asia and Europe via the Gulf. Booking opened this week for flights starting June 26, 2026 . This will be the ultimate "endurance test" review for any budget traveler. 🇮🇳 India & Asia-Pacific: The Rupee Pivot A significant shift in strategy was revealed this week by India’s two largest carriers, Air India and IndiGo , as they began reallocating capacity. The "Eastward Surge" (Feb 16-17) Due to a weakening rupee and rising operational costs in Europe, both airlines are scaling back Western expansion to flood the Asian market. Air India: Announced it is trimming frequencies on "secondary" European routes like Amritsar–London and Ahmedabad–London Instead, they are doubling down on Singapore (adding 6 weekly flights) and expanding to Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, and Denpasar IndiGo: Officially suspended its Copenhagen service (effective Feb 17) and reduced frequencies to London Heathrow and Manchester . The airline is shifting those widebody 787-9s to serve high-demand regional leisure hubs like Phuket and Jakarta Regional Deliveries Thai Airways (Feb 15): Began the regional deployment of its brand-new Airbus A321neo fleet. These aircraft are now serving Beijing and Bangalore, replacing older widebodies on "mid-haul" routes to improve fuel efficiency by 20% 🇺🇸 North America: Regulatory & Policy Shockwaves The DEI Pilot Hiring Ban (Feb 13) In a move that has sent ripples through airline HR departments, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a formal order on February 13th. The Order: Commercial airlines must halt all DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) -based hiring for pilots. The Requirement: All future hiring must be "exclusively merit-based" to ensure the highest degree of safety. This has sparked intense debate in the industry regarding recruitment pipelines and federal oversight. Route News Avianca (Feb 12): Successfully resumed daily operations between Bogotá and Caracas , a major milestone in restoring regional connectivity to Venezuela. United Airlines: Rumors are heating up regarding a massive Guam hub expansion to counter growing Chinese presence in the Pacific. 🕌 Middle East: Etihad’s Record Momentum Traffic Report (Feb 13) Etihad Airways released its January 2026 statistics, showing a record-breaking month with over 2 million passengers carried—a 21% increase year-on-year. Fleet Move: On February 8th, Etihad officially boosted its London Gatwick service to 4 daily flights , notably utilizing the Airbus A350-1000 on two of those rotations. ⚠ Safety & Technical Incident Log LATAM 777 High-Speed RTO (Feb 15) Investigators have opened a probe into a LATAM Boeing 777-300ER that performed a high- speed Rejected Takeoff (RTO) The Detail: The front wheels had reportedly already left the ground when the crew initiated the abort. This is a critical safety event being studied for potential sensor or engine telemetry failures. Somalia Airspace Alert Following the "Mogadishu Splashdown" earlier this month, the ICAO has issued a temporary Safety Bulletin for the region, urging pilots to double-check landing weight calculations due to the high humidity and "shifting wind shear" characteristic of the Somali coast this season. ✈ Delivery Radar: Week of Feb 12 PUBLIC DISCLOSURE & DISCLAIMER: This report is a compilation of current industry data, verified announcements, and evolving aviation trends as of February 18, 2026. Information is provided for informational and collaborative purposes. Aviation schedules, fleet deliveries, and regulatory mandates are subject to change by respective authorities and carriers.