All opinion
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Airline BusinessResist political pressure to renege on ESG commitments
The airline industry must not be tempted to undo its achievements so far on workforce diversity and the huge net-zero challenge by embracing the regressive policies favoured by politicians who might soon hold the balance of power in some geographies
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Airline BusinessWhy United is right to lead team of rivals in sustainability fund
The US major is setting an example for others to follow by engaging its competitors with its Sustainable Flight Fund
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Airline BusinessAirlines are back, yes, but not necessarily better
As traffic returns to pre-Covid levels, more airlines will discover that inconvenient market fundamentals still apply
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Airline BusinessWhen it comes to airline M&A, is the gain still worth the pain?
The past 12 months have seen consolidation moves touch more carriers. But at the same time, the sentiment from governments and regulators appears to be hardening against airline tie-ups, raising questions about the future viability of such moves
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Airline BusinessIn support of the European slot rules - the ‘unsung hero’ of the air traffic system
IATA deputy director general Conrad Clifford argues that over the past 30 years, the European Slot Regulation has enabled huge benefits for travelers and suggests, ’if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’
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Airline BusinessMerger gives Thai something to Smile about, but it must act fast
The merger of regional operator Thai Smile into parent Thai Airways International finally closes the chapter on regional airline units in Asia, and Thai must now act quickly to make up for lost ground, especially in the face of low-cost competition.
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Airline BusinessAirlines should prioritise storytelling, not statements, on sustainability
United Airlines is setting a strong example with its latest sustainability campaign, which notably avoids broad-brush statements, writes airline marketing specialist Shashank Nigam
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Airline BusinessWhat should the expectations from Single European Sky really be?
Former director general of air traffic management trade body CANSO, Graham Lake, argues the much-criticised Single European Sky project deserves credit for what has been achieved, but that better expectations management and fuller accountability for (lack of) progress and investment decisions at a local level is required .
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Airline BusinessWar, not pandemic, creates ‘new normal’ for airline industry
While many of the adjustments made by airlines during the Covid-19 crisis would once have been unthinkable, the industry that is emerging from the pandemic looks quite a lot like the 2019 one. War, on the other hand, is forcing some fundamental rethinks
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Airline BusinessWhat does fuel price volatility mean for airline strategies
Tighter capacity discipline and fewer discounted fares are among the likely outcomes as airlines use a number of levers to mitigate a renewed higher – and more volatile - oil price environment, writes Jet Link International vice-president René Armas Maes
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Airline BusinessWhy labour stretch threatens to derail air travel recovery
CTAIRA analyst Chris Tarry looks at how the challenge of retraining and building back workforces, so heavily cut to survive the pandemic by players across the air travel chain, threatens to derail the pace of recovery
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Airline BusinessAirlines fret about demand tipping point as costs rise everywhere
There are few things that airlines have been more confident about in recent months than the ‘pent-up’ demand for air travel that would drive the Covid-19 recovery.
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Airline BusinessWhy Europe’s joint step towards decarbonisation by 2050 now needs ICAO
Airlines for Europe (A4E) managing director Thomas Reynaert on why the landmark Toulouse Declaration on decarbonisation signed earlier in February by European governments and industry stakeholders must be followed by a commitment from ICAO at its triennial assembly this autumn.
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Airline BusinessIf 2022 is not the year for new airline partnerships, when will be?
As the sector emerges from the pandemic, many airline chief executives are talking up the value of partnerships with renewed enthusiasm.
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Airline BusinessAmid US-China flight suspension spat, what price, zero infection?
As China doubles down on ’zero-Covid’, it risks further isolating itself, as well as its airlines, on the global stage.
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Airline BusinessQR quandary trips up re-boot of USA-Singapore air travel
Singapore’s acceptance of only one form of accreditation for travelers vaccinated in the USA highlights the thorny questions governments can encounter when reopening air travel.
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Airline BusinessWhy airline leaders must plan beyond the short-term pressures
Peter Davies, founder of Airline Management Group, on how the cost implications of pandemic-hit balance sheets and meeting environmental goals means management teams needs to embrace longer term thinking than their business plans show today
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Airline BusinessWhy fuel, fleet and loads are key to restructured Latin carriers’ recovery
René Armas Maes, vice-president of commercial at Jet Link International, considers how adapting to cost and demand variables over the next two years will be key to the successful implementation of restructuring plans for Latin America’s three biggest operators.
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Airline BusinessMassive aircraft order solves just part of United’s fleet-renewal challenge
United Airlines bold order for 270 narrowbodies in June formed part of an ambitious seat upgauge and product enhancement plan. But as consultants René Armas Maes and Jonathan Norman write, achieving its ambitions depends on how the fleet renewal is implemented.
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Airline BusinessZero-Covid is dead; long live zero-Covid (for airline passengers)
Covid-19 vaccines should allow Asia-Pacific air travel to open up, but bureaucracy and expensive testing might emerge as a challenge.