Joby Aviation has completed a series of piloted vertical take-off and landing flights in Dubai, where it plans to launch electric air-taxi services in 2026. The US-based company says the flights mark a "significant step" in its three-pronged strategy, which involves direct operations, aircraft sales and regional partnerships. Joby signed an agreement in February 2024 with Dubai's Road and Transport Authority (RTA), awarding it exclusive rights to operate air taxis in the emirate for six years. "The United Arab Emirates is a launchpad for a global revolution in how we move," states Joby founder and chief executive JoeBen Bevirt. "In addition to building a performant aircraft, we've also been maturing our programme for anticipated passenger service with global operational capabilities and scalable, durable manufacturing. "Our flights and operational footprint in Dubai are a monumental step toward weaving air-taxi services into the fabric of daily life worldwide." Joby plans to introduce the air-taxi services at Dubai International airport, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Marina and Downtown Dubai. The flight between the airport and Palm Jumeirah will take 12 minutes, it says, compared with a 45-minute car ride. The aircraft is designed to transport one pilot and up to four passengers.

Qantas has contained a system breach that allowed cyber criminals to gain access to some passenger details though a third-party customer service platform used at a call centre. The airline says in a 2 July statement that on 30 June it "detected unusual activity on a third-party platform used by a Qantas airline contact centre" that has service records for six million customers, including their names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers. It immediately took steps to contain the system and adds that all its systems remain secure with no impact on its operations or safety. "Importantly, credit card details, personal financial information and passport details are not held in this system. No frequent flyer accounts were compromised nor have passwords, PIN numbers or log in details been accessed," Qantas adds. It expects that the proportion of data stolen will be "significant" but it is continuing to investigate how much, and has notified the Australian Federal Police and other cybersecurity authorities. The cyber attack on Qantas follows a 26 June breach at Hawaiian Airlines, after which the US Federal Bureau of Investigation warned that a cybercriminal group known as Scattered Spider was "expanding its targeting to include the airline sector". "They target large corporations and their third-party IT providers, which means anyone in the airline ecosystem, including trusted vendors and contractors, could be at risk," the agency said in a 28 June statement on X.

Australian carrier Qantas has taken delivery of the first of 40 Airbus A321XLR jets it will use to replace Boeing 737-800s in its fleet. On 30 June, the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered aircraft (VH-OGA) departed Airbus's facility in Hamburg, Germany. It is scheduled to arrive in Sydney on 2 July, after a stopover in Bangkok, says Qantas. The Oneworld airline notes that the 5,180nm leg to the Thai capital will be the longest A321XLR flight operated by a commercial airline to date. Qantas completed an acceptance flight of the aircraft in Hamburg on 24 June, it says. Airbus notes that 28 of the airline group's 40 A321XLRs have been allocated to Qantas and 12 to budget subsidiary Jetstar. Qantas opted for the PW1100G to power its A321XLRs, while Jetstar's will be fitted with CFM International Leap-1A engines. Data from Airbus shows that Qantas Group's single-aisle order backlog with the airframer totaled 128 aircraft on 31 May: 63 A321neos, 43 A320neos and 22 A220-300s. Qantas has confirmed that its A321XLRs will replace 737-800s. It has configured the new single aisles with 20 business and 177 economy seats, both supplied by Recaro. Fleet data shows that Qantas has 75 737-800s which were built in the 2002-14 period and have an average age of 17 years. Each of the 737s is equipped with 12 business and 162 economy seats. Qantas highlights that the A321XLR has around 1,600nm more range than the 737NG and will "open up a wider range of direct domestic and short-haul international routes". The airline cites destinations in Southeast Asia and Pacific islands as examples. The A321XLR has up to 4,700nm range in typical airline service, notes Airbus. "We are proud to be the first A321XLR operator in Asia Pacific and its arrival will mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Qantas and a significant step forward in enhancing the experience we offer our customers," states the carrier's domestic chief Markus Svensson. Qantas is the second operator of the GTF-powered A321XLR variant – after central European budget carrier Wizz Air received the first aircraft last month – and the fourth overall. Launch operator Iberia began scheduled passenger flights with the A321XLR in November 2024 and was followed in December by IAG sibling Aer Lingus. Fleet data lists seven A321XLRs in service with airlines – three each at Iberia and Aer Lingus plus one at Wizz Air – and 473 on order.