Editorial opinion
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OpinionMerger 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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OpinionWar, 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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OpinionAirlines 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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OpinionIf 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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OpinionAmid 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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OpinionUnited cuts Q3 earnings expectation as ‘Delta’ variant slows bookings
United Airlines has seen “deceleration” of third-quarter income due to increased fear among travellers about the “Delta” variant of Covid-19.
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OpinionZero-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.
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OpinionSandboxes and bubbles show why Asia travel restart is not child’s play
Across Asia-Pacific, plans to restart travel faces yet another roadblock, as several major countries battle a deadlier wave of the coronavirus outbreak.
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OpinionWhy airlines are worried about passenger-processing times at airports
In a twist that seems unfair given the dreadful time the industry has had over the past 16 months or so, there exists a genuine risk that even a minor uptick in traffic in some markets might threaten to overwhelm the passenger-processing capacity at airports.
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OpinionThailand shakes up moribund Southeast Asian air travel market
Thailand’s decision to fully open to vaccinated travellers by mid-October represents a sharp break from its Southeast Asian neighbours, whose international air travel markets remain in stasis.
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OpinionIs IATA right to call for ‘data-driven decisions’ on international travel?
IATA’s belief is that draconian government restrictions are standing in the way of a meaningful restart of international travel, and that data proves those restrictions are an overreaction to the actual risks.
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OpinionAfter several false starts, airline frustration gets thrust to the fore
Virgin Australia chief Jayne Hrdlicka sparked a furore when she said Australians must learn to live with the coronavirus, even if it meant further deaths. While controversial, her comments are understandable, and represent growing frustration in the airline industry for a return to normalcy.
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OpinionTrans-Tasman ‘bubble’ sets high bar for travel resumptions
The Trans-Tasman travel bubble offers a rare good news story for air travel in the region, but don’t expect a spate of similar arrangements to follow.
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OpinionDiscussion of restriction-free air travel is cause for optimism
It made sense for Willie Walsh to use his first briefing as IATA director general to insist that Covid-related health measures – such as pre-flight testing and vaccination certificates – should only be in place for as long as is necessary.
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OpinionOnline crackdown bad news for China aerospace watchers
Beijing’s move to rein in discussion of military affairs on social media will hurt the world’s understanding of its defence aerospace development.
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OpinionTime for tough decisions about Garuda, Malaysia Airlines and Thai
The coronavirus pandemic is a salutary lesson in the risks associated with airline ownership, but will Southeast Asia’s governments get the message?
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OpinionWhy does aviation still have a man problem?
Competence, not gender, should be the only factor to affect success, says Pilar Wolfsteller.
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OpinionAs they firefight, airlines shouldn’t ignore changing fundamentals
There is no point making it through to more stable times, only to realise that your pre-pandemic assumptions don’t apply in the new reality.
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OpinionHow might new Covid-19 strains affect the airline industry’s outlook?
The emergence of more infectious strains of Covid-19 and the consequent restrictions placed on travel to and from the UK, Denmark and South Africa could have significant implications for the airline industry’s recovery path.
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OpinionBubbles, testing, vaccines, quarantines: airlines brace for complicated 2021
There is a high risk that a reduction in the threat posed by Covid-19 might only further expose a messy operating environment for international travel, stymieing the sector’s ability to take advantage of the virus’s reduced prevalence.