Editorial opinion – Page 2
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OpinionThe real trouble with travel bubbles
A two-week delay in the Hong Kong-Singapore air travel bubble starkly illustrates how fragile an Asia-Pacific air travel recovery will be absent a universal coronavirus vaccine.
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OpinionWhy UAE F-35 deal makes sense to Washington - and Israel
The UAE’s unexpected approval for an F-35 buy can be seen as just part of a US strategy to strenghten all of its allies in the Middle East region.
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OpinionPositive vaccine news comes just as airline industry needed it the most
Carriers in the northern hemisphere are heading into a winter season that is likely to be bleaker than even their worst pre-pandemic nightmares could have imagined.
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OpinionWill there be an international air travel resurgence in 2021?
When this crisis reaches the 12-month mark around February/March 2021, are there any reasons to believe that things will look vastly better than they do today?
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OpinionAirbus has shown its green vision, but can Boeing follow suit?
While the European airframer is betting on hydrogen to deliver cleaner air travel, its rival in Seattle has yet to reveal its strategy for a sustainable future.
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OpinionFor airlines, a focus on 'getting back to 2019 ' ignores reality
As with many coronavirus crisis-related discussions – involving airlines or otherwise – it is tempting to focus on getting back to how things were, even at the cost of considering that some changes might be for the better.
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OpinionNowhere beckons for Asia-Pacific airlines
‘Flights to Nowhere’ are smart public relations for Asia-Pacific airlines, but that such flights are even under consideration underlines the immense challenges they face. Reports recently emerged that Singapore Airlines (SIA) is considering what local reports refer to as ’Flights to Nowhere,’ whereby passengers board in Singapore, fly around a ...
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OpinionFinance availability may hold key to shape of delivery recovery
The year 2020 is set to be a catastrophe for the commercial aerospace sector, as airliner shipments collapse to the lowest levels since the mid-2000s. And right now the prospects for 2021 are not looking a whole lot rosier.
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OpinionWhy airline lifelines might be followed by more rescue measures
News that Virgin Atlantic has secured court approval for its planned recapitalisation marks the latest in series of rescue deals that have been struck to ensure airlines around the world can stay airborne. Some have simply secured protection from creditors while they re-organise. Others have secured fresh capital – be ...
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OpinionNewest start-ups might hold recipe for real tech advancement
In recent weeks, a slew of aerospace start-ups unveiled ambitious plans to develop aerospace technologies aimed at slashing emissions and allowing autonomous flight.
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OpinionBoeing’s challenge to address the reputational crisis around Max brand
Seattle’s marketing strategy is in the spotlight amid renewed speculation about its commitment to the name. But is a rebrand the right solution?
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OpinionWhy 777X certification could be just part of Max crisis collateral damage
Alarming details that emerged in the aftermath of the 737 Max grounding about Boeing’s behaviour during the certification process has created a crisis of confidence unparalleled in the aviation industry. And no one – not just Seattle – should underestimate the extent of mistrust and the time it could take to heal the deep wounds.
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OpinionWhy Virgin Galactic is still attracting investment despite continued losses
Having taken 15 years and counting to get its rocketplanes in service, Virgin Galactic is now talking about supersonic jet travel; don’t book a flight just yet, but keep an eye on the share price
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OpinionSafety must not be allowed to slip during the ‘new normal’
Aviation safety depends in part on a stable operating environment, but a pandemic and growing geopolitical tension will undermine some longstanding assumptions
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OpinionLogic behind bad decisions underpins Smartwings 737 incident
Although an airline captain’s decision to proceed on a flight from Greece to Prague with just one engine may seem incomprehensible from the outside, his reasoning is likely to be all-too familiar
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OpinionScale of Covid collapse raises questions about what comes next
Consider this: On a Friday in July 2019, 11 airlines operated 66 flights from Washington DC to New York City-area airports. Fast forward: on Friday 17 July, carriers operated just 15 flights on those routes.
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OpinionAn eternal midnight for Asia-Pacific airlines
Hopeful talk of ”travel bubbles” in the Asia-Pacific has turned to disappointment as the coronavirus demonstrates a profound ability to keep heaping disruption on the travel industry. In early May, hope was in the air in Auckland. New Zealand, one of rare success stories in dealing with the pandemic, mooted ...
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OpinionFIA Connect was innovative move, but real air show is missed
Although virtual Farnborough event brought industry together, summer is not the same without seeing old friends and new aircraft up close
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OpinionBidding goodbye to BA’s ‘Queen of the Skies’
While BA’s move to retire its fleet of 747s because of coronavirus makes perfect sense, the business of aviation runs on romance as well as jet fuel
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OpinionWhy aviation should burn hydrogen, not time, to repair reputation
While aviation deals with the immediate fall-out of the coronavirus pandemic, longer term it must also face up to its environmental responsibilities; hydrogen power could help it meet those challenging targets