Aviation Daily Digest — July 31, 2026

# Aviation Daily Digest — July 31, 2026

Your daily 60-second briefing for pilots, drone operators and aviation pros — auto-aggregated from the industry's top sources.

Top stories

• The Single Remote Airport That Makes A South Pacific Crossing On The Airbus A350 Possible — Simple Flying. This island airport holds significance for long-haul flights in its vicinity.
• Why JetBlue's Mint Studio Has Quietly Become The Sweet Spot On Transcon Routes — Simple Flying. The carrier operates a wide variety of routes across the US.
• Why The F-16 Viper's New AESA Radar Makes A 50-Year-Old Fighter More Lethal Than The Day It First Flew — Simple Flying. How the latest tool in Fighting Falcon's kit sharpened its claws even more.
• 10 Abreast In Economy: Philippine Airlines Airbus A350-1000 Flight Review — Simple Flying. I flew Philippine Airlines' A350-1000 on a long-haul flight in economy, and I probably wouldn't want to do it again.
• Damaged Japan Airlines A350-1000 Flies For 1st Time In 7+ Months After JFK Collision — Simple Flying. A damaged Japan Airlines A350-1000 has flown again after seven months grounded at JFK.
• Why Britain's Military Will Have Fewer Helicopters Than It Needs Starting In 2027 — Simple Flying. Britain faces a major helicopter capability gap from 2027 as Wildcat retirements outpace AW149 deliveries and drones race to fill the void.
• Qantas Axing Airbus A380 Flights From Major Airport: Here’s the Final Date — Simple Flying. The final flight of Qantas' Airbus A380 from Melbourne to Los Angeles on October 24 marks the end of an era, as the airline opts for Boeing 787-9.
• This Airline Has The World’s Best Economy Class Seat In 2026 — Simple Flying. Japan Airlines was recently given the award for the best economy class seat in the world.
• Less Than 72 Hours: 4,400 WestJet Flight Attendants On Verge Of August 2nd Strike — Simple Flying. A potential strike at WestJet looms, with 72-hour notice given, as the airline and its cabin crew remain deadlocked over unpaid work and compensation.
• G700 Claims Los Angeles-Farnborough City-Pair Record — AVweb. Gulfstream says its flagship completed the transatlantic route 19 minutes faster than Bombardier’s Global 8000.

Pilot community highlights

_The community is quiet today._

What pilots are talking about (X / Twitter)

_No fresh aviation Twitter activity captured._

Jobs of the day

_No new postings today — see all open roles on our jobs board._

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