The European Union Aviation Safety Agency warned airlines to steer clear of several cities in Russia following the fatal crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet that was likely shot down by Russian forces.

The US has announced a $500m aid package for Ukraine, including air defence missiles and ammunition. Meanwhile, around 113 people are injured after a Russian bomb attack in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.

The latest conflict zone warnings came after the shooting down of an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer E190 in December 2024.

The destruction of Russian helicopters using Magura V5 drones has reduced the number of enemy helicopter flights, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing Dmytro Pletenchuk, Spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy. According to Pletenchuk,

APU tried to destroy an oil depot in Engels, Saratov region, where aviation fuel is stored for strategic bombers stationed at the Engels-2 airfield, with the help of a massive attack by Beaver drones.

Russia has scaled back the frequency of helicopter flights over the Black Sea after Ukrainian uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) downed two Russian helicopters on the night of 30-31 December. Source: Dmytro Pletenchuk,

European air transport safety regulators have expanded a conflict-zone advisory for Russian airspace, two weeks after crash of an Embraer 190 suspected to have been damaged by military activity in Chechnya.

In addition to missiles, Ukraine has used long-range drones of its own build to attack Russian energy assets. A Ukrainian drone hit a terminal for gas condensate transshipment in the port of Ust-Luga, near Leningrad, on Saturday, causing a massive fire.

According to state-run Ukrainian outlet United24, Engels-2 is one of only two airfields to house Russia's Tu-160 bombers, reportedly employed in Russia's combined aerial attack on Ukraine in mid-November, one of the largest in recent months.

In an exclusive interview for AeroTime, aviation journalist Andreas Spaeth interviewed Turkka Kuusisto about his efforts to redefine Finnair’s course in a rapidly changing environment.

Total industry revenues are anticipated to exceed $1t for the first time, marking a 4.4% increase. Passenger numbers are expected to rise 6.7% to 5.2 billion, while cargo volumes will grow by 5.8% to 72.