Sky Briefing #009 — Turned Back Over Azerbaijan and a Strawberry Moon on Sunday
Early June, airspace over Azerbaijan: SK969 turns around. Not weather, no technical fault — India’s regulator had not signed off. SAS’s first Mumbai flight since 2009 returned to Copenhagen after hours in the air. Three weeks on, there is still no new date. The week’s map grew anyway: Taipei got a nonstop line to Washington on Thursday, Montréal to Dakar last week. On Sunday the full moon traces its flattest arc of the year.
Skies
The Strawberry Moon on Sunday hangs lower in the sky than any other full moon this year. Full moon on June 29 at 23:57 UTC. The Moon is also near apogee this month — maximum distance from Earth — making it a micromoon: slightly smaller and slightly dimmer than average. Its proximity to the summer solstice forces the lunar path to its lowest arc of the year, barely clearing the southeast horizon at sunset. On an eastbound or northbound flight Sunday evening: window shade up, look southeast from about 21:00 UTC onward. Space.com — June full moon 2026: Strawberry Moon
The sun fired an M-class flare on the solstice — no storm, but Solar Cycle 25 is not done. On June 21, the Sun produced an M-class flare. A slow CME from June 19 was expected to deliver a glancing blow around June 23 — a brief brush, no G-storm. For aurora chasers: the solar cycle is still near its maximum; M-class events will remain a weekly routine through late 2026. The dark comes back in autumn. EarthSky — M flare brightens the June solstice
Aviation
SAS turned back over Azerbaijan on its inaugural Mumbai flight — three weeks on, still no new date. SK969 departed Copenhagen on June 2, flew for hours toward India, and reversed over Azerbaijan because India’s DGCA had not issued the final landing clearance. The A330 returned to Copenhagen; the June 4 and 5 flights were also canceled. SAS had waited since 2009 for this route. Three weeks after the mid-air U-turn, no new launch date has been announced. One Mile at a Time — Inaugural SAS India flight diverts due to regulatory approval
EVA Air opens the first nonstop Taipei–Washington Dulles flight on June 26. Four times weekly, Boeing 787-9, approximately 16 hours. EVA Air becomes the first Taiwanese carrier to serve Washington Dulles (IAD); Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) to IAD previously required a connection. Departures from IAD on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. EVA Air — New nonstop service Taipei to Washington D.C.
Air Transat just opened the only nonstop link between Canada and sub-Saharan Africa. Since June 17, Air Transat has flown Montréal (YUL) to Dakar (DSS) twice weekly on an Airbus A321LR. No other Canadian carrier has ever served this corridor nonstop. Whether the route sustains itself commercially is an open question. That it exists at all is a first. AFAR — Best new international flight routes for 2026
because you need to know when the full moon hangs lowest in the sky all year — Sunday evening, window shade up.