Tucked beneath the armrest of a luxury business class seat in a factory in Wales lies a clue to a global aviation bottleneck that has left many airlines waiting impatiently for new jets.

ATR has been working on connectivity to its aircraft, with them working with PMV Engineering to allow Starlink-based connectivity to be added onboard. After successful test flights carried out on ATR’s 72-600 test aircraft in the past months, the solution has been certified by EASA. Under the agreement, PMV Engineering has developed the necessary modifications for the certification of the Starlink aeroterminal on ATR aircraft, which is now available as a retrofit option on ATR 72-500 and ATR72-600 for all ATR operators through a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC). This is enabled with a compact antenna size and housing which suits that ATR platform's aerodynamics (and thus a lower fuel penalty).

The European Commission told Lufthansa on Wednesday it would order the German flag carrier to reinstate charter airline Condor's access to Lufthansa's short-haul network to feed Condor's Frankfurt-New York route.

A quiet end to the best-selling widebody aircraft of all time.