All Opinion articles – Page 20
-
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.
-
OpinionOPINION: C-130J's success gives hope to A400M
Twenty years ago, Lockheed Martin made its first delivery of a C-130J to launch operator the UK Royal Air Force, following a troubled development and testing programme which was very much at odds with its chosen moniker: “Super Hercules”.
-
OpinionOPINION: Qatar Airways must choose wisdom over hubris
If anyone thought Qatar Airways chief Akbar Al Baker, eight months into a Gulf blockade on the carrier, might choose to adopt a more diplomatic tone while addressing the international press, they must have been barking.
-
OpinionOPINION: Are air taxis on a ride to nowhere?
Don’t waste your money on a new car. Studies on the economics of taxi services built around autonomous electric-powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft – so-called eVTOLs – make compelling reading. Basically, cost per passenger mile looks like undercutting helicopter rides by an order of magnitude – and even makes ...
-
OpinionOPINION: Why Saratov An-148 loss is cautionary tale
Russia's rich literary history includes the short verse Gvozd i Podkova, in which a city falls to invaders because the blacksmith did not have a nail with which to shoe the defending commander's horse.
-
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.
-
OpinionOPINION: Can contract revision rescue A400M?
One year ago, Airbus chief executive Tom Enders put the future of the company’s flagship military project on the line, by demanding crisis talks with its European customers for the long-troubled A400M.
-
OpinionOPINION: Who will lose out in NMA engine battle?
How long can a duopoly of large commercial aircraft manufacturers sustain a triopoly of engine suppliers? We may find out the answer later this year.
-
Opinion
OPINION: New boss, new Leonardo?
Corporate chiefs are fearful of missing out on the Next Big Thing, of leaving it to bold, visionary rivals to anticipate a future that they themselves were too short-sighted, or too timid, to grasp.
-
Opinion
OPINION: Is the CSeries ruling a seismic shift?
Over the past four months, the competitive landscape in the small-narrowbody jet market has been turned upside down. Bombardier has agreed to give Airbus control of the CSeries programme and open a new final assembly line in Alabama. Boeing is in discussions to construct some kind of combination with Embraer. ...
-
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.
-
Opinion
OPINION: X6 delay could be a regret for Airbus Helicopters chief
For his final annual press conference as head of Airbus Helicopters, Guillaume Faury adopted the Édith Piaf approach, declaring that he had “no regrets” about any aspect of his five-year stint as chief executive.
-
Opinion
OPINION: ATR in pole position to launch new turboprop – for now
ATR is an enviable position: the Airbus-Leonardo joint venture supplies more than three-quarters of the annual demand for regional turboprops, has an order backlog – significantly bolstered in 2017 – equating to around three years of production, and, perhaps most significantly, its sole Western competitor, Bombardier, is currently occupied with ...
-
Opinion
OPINION: Market looks rosy, but beware the unknown
If Boeing intended to antagonise Airbus ahead of the annual order tussle, it chose to tweak the European airframer’s most sensitive nerve.
-
Opinion
OPINION: Leahy leaves lasting legacy with Emirates deal
Any doubts that the future of Airbus’s flagship product was genuinely under threat were demolished by the blunt assessment from outgoing head salesman John Leahy. If Emirates did not buy more, the A380 programme was finished, he said.
-
Opinion
OPINION: BAE research project promises stealth advance
Most of the magic in stealth aircraft design is created by geometry. By shaping an aircraft surface to reflect transmitted radio waves away from their source, the radar is effectively blinded. This works fine as long the stealthy aircraft has no need to manoeuvre. Any change in direction or altitude ...
-
Opinion
OPINION: Airframers should approach further rate rises with caution
Boeing in 2017 successfully transitioned to a production rate of 47 aircraft per month on its 737 line, as it works to address its swelling single-aisle backlog, which hit 4,668 firm orders at year-end.
-
Opinion
OPINION: Engine arrival signals China's supply chain progress
By rolling out the first locally designed high-bypass turbofan on 29 December, China joined one of the most exclusive clubs in the global aerospace industry.
-
Opinion
OPINION: Boeing and Embraer have much to gain from tie-up
A combination of Boeing and Embraer would make a powerful team in commercial aviation, deepen a potentially disruptive alliance with Saab in the defence market, and could upset the business aviation status quo.
-
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.