Op-Ed Columnists – Page 7
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OpinionET302 interim report raises more questions
A preliminary report into the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 accident of 10 March has resolved some of the mystery behind flight ET302’s loss, but also raised new questions for me as FlightGlobal’s test pilot – and who operates the type for a major carrier.
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Opinion
OPINION: Forget the FAA, the Regulator in Chief has spoken
In an unprecedented move today, the President Trump issued the order to ground the USA's Boeing Max fleet.
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OpinionOPINION: New Delhi's 'Lease in India' delusion
India’s commercial aviation sector has, arguably, been built on the back of favourable aircraft finance for its airlines, but could it follow to become the next air finance powerhouse?
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Opinion
OPINION: A320neo and great expectations
An eagerly anticipated new aircraft type delivers much, disappoints some and implies a few hard truths about aviation in 2019
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Opinion
OPINION: Flying high and feeling fine?
Spare a kind word and smile for the cabin crew next time you fly; they may need a lift
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OpinionOPINION: HNA's annus horribilis set to roll into 2019
As the year comes to an end, China’s mysterious HNA Group appears to have made little headway in its ongoing struggles to pay down its debts, while investors punish its various operating arms.
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Opinion
OPINION: Pilots need answers on 737 Max safety systems
Readers may recognise my name from the many flight tests I have written for Flight International over the years.
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OpinionOPINION: Should lessors be worried about India’s airlines?
India’s aviation market is huge and growing, but revelations that at least two carriers are feeling the strain from aircraft delays slowing sale-and-leaseback payments should raise some concern for lessors playing in that market.
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OpinionOPINION: Will a GECAS sale be ‘Guinness Peat 2.0’?
Over 20 years since Guinness Peat Aviation’s collapse became a defining moment in the aircraft leasing industry, the prospect of General Electric hiving off the world’s largest lessor, GECAS, could do the same.
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Opinion
OPINION: Lessors will be lenders of last resort in Turkey
Turkey is in the midst of a currency crisis as the lira continues to devalue. On 7 August the Turkish currency took a nosedive, falling 30% against the dollar.
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Opinion
OPINION: Eye-catching figures belie nuances of Farnborough deals
After last year's intolerable heat in Paris and Farnborough 2016's rainy deluge, the forecast for this year's major air show was sunny skies and mild temperatures – and for the most part the weather held up. The deal announcements, meanwhile, reflected the weather – the OEMs shone a bright light ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Aircastle's rating upgrades de-risk business
"We're pushing hard to get our friends at S&P to be where we think we should have been long ago," Aircastle chief executive Michael Inglese told investors on 13 February during an earnings call. "It's front and centre, and what we're focused on."
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Opinion
OPINION: Why 2018 is a seller's market – for now
Buying an aircraft at the right price is not proving an easy task in 2018.
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Opinion
OPINION: HNA might be a candidate for bailout
HNA Group is not the most cautious shopper. After a debt-fuelled spending spree on non-core assets in recent years, the Chinese group is facing a wall of debt maturities careening closer every day.
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Opinion
OPINION: Brexit's sterling impact still an issue for UK airlines
Brexit has proved much more difficult to navigate than its proponents indicated in marketing it to the British public. For the aviation industry, the challenges that Brexit presents are especially complex, with issues ranging from operator certificates to ownership thresholds.
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Opinion
OPINION: Funding costs suggest Avolon would benefit if HNA exited
Avolon seems mostly to have insulated itself against shareholder HNA Group, which is dealing with liquidity issues after a global spending spree over the past couple of years. But the lessor's cost of capital is rising rather than falling.
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Opinion
OPINION: FLY purchase of Asia Aviation will lead to sales
The sale of Asia Aviation Capital seemed like a challenge from the outset, but BBAM's purchase of AirAsia Group's leasing company's assets is nothing short of brilliant.
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Opinion
OPINION: Schuldscheins prove aviation's private potential
Aircraft financing has started to attract new investors in recent years, as part of the broader hunt for yield in which institutional investors have engaged since the global financial crisis.
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Opinion
OPINION: Sales activity suggests lessors are calling the peak
Dublin got its annual influx of aircraft financiers late last month when the community gathered for conference season in the Irish capital.
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Opinion
OPINION: First A380 sellers have the advantage
If Airbus does decide to end production of the Airbus A380, then the secondary market for the European manufacturer's flagship jet will likely favour the first sellers.