All Opinion articles – Page 8
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OpinionWhy freighter strategy is a loaded question for Boeing
Seattle faces some crucial decisions if it is to sustain its dominance in the freight sector
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OpinionSupersonic flight is the future, just as it was in the past
Although over 50 years have passed since Concorde proved commercial supersonic flight was possible, the industry is once again looking to ride a wave of interest in the concept
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OpinionWhy things are looking grim for the A380
Doubts about size and shape of many fleets as operators plan their coronavirus crisis recovery strategies
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OpinionWhat’s next for airline pilots?
Being an airline pilot in May 2020 is an unnerving experience. A workforce that thrives on mobility is largely furloughed, with many also awaiting redundancy; a small minority, meanwhile, are still operating what few flights remain.
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OpinionWhy carriers cannot rush return from coronavirus
Quarantine might not completely kill any tentative recovery in air travel, but it would certainly limit its appeal to the few passengers who are either booking a one-way journey or do not mind spending time cooped up like a dog suspected of rabies.
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OpinionF-35 programme still lacking agility
For seasoned observers of the Joint Strike Fighter programme, the revelation that Lockheed Martin’s Block 4 modernisation effort for the F-35 is already running two years late and $1.5 billion over budget will come as no surprise.
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OpinionWhy strong supplier chain could save Boeing
With the world’s number one aerospace manufacturer facing a barrage of problems, from the Max grounding to the Covid-19 collapse in demand, Alex Krutz, manging director at Patriot Industrial Partners, considers whether a supply chain that is much more robust than in the past can be crucial to getting it through the crisis?
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OpinionFor SMEs, the crisis is only beginning
The situation could hardly be worse for Airbus, Boeing and first-tier suppliers. But for companies further down the supply chain it is. Highly geared and often dependent on a single customer, small- and medium-sized enterprises face a fight for survival as demand dries up. Their only hope is some sort of airline revival before it is too late
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OpinionYears after cancellation, A380 freighter’s time may have come
FedEx’s crystal ball was clearly having an off-day when it churned out predictions for the Airbus A380 freighter 15 years ago. The US express cargo giant, once the launch operator of the A380F, expected to take delivery of the aircraft in 2008, enthused about a -900 stretched cargo variant, and forecast that passenger-to-freighter A380s would arrive by 2020.
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OpinionWhy airlines must mind the training bubble
Getting carriers back into service at the end of this crisis could run up against a perhaps unexpected obstacle: a shortage of simulator capacity for pilots
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OpinionEmbraer must present convincing ‘Plan B’
Collapse of merger with Boeing leaves the Brazilian airframer needing to detail an alternative.
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OpinionWhy industry can benefit from enforced hiatus in airliner production
Rates are being slashed as demand slumps - but this will provide crucial breathing space for stretched industry
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OpinionBoeing’s structural reboot vital to prepare for rebound
Management changes at US airframer are required as it seeks stability ahead of any recovery
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OpinionModernisation is key for US Army’s helicopter fleet - but not at any cost
Despite its platform modernisation efforts, the US Army’s helicopter inventory is increasingly showing its age. The Boeing AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook and Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk are all decades-old designs, equally enhanced and weighed down by the equipment additions made over time. Source: AP/Shutterstock History shows that low- ...
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OpinionAdapting to coronavirus means removing its power to frighten
The airline industry is effectively being held hostage by organisms a tenth of a micron wide. In future, we may have to live alongside them, as is the case with other diseases
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OpinionWill pandemic prompt a green reset for aviation?
The coronavirus crisis will abate before too long, but how will its impact change the nature of air travel?
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OpinionHailing the A310’s lasting legacy
Airbus invented the original widebody twinjet more than half a century ago, so it seems appropriate that a Toulouse product looks set to be the first of the breed to become extinct.
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OpinionStudent pilots may be worried, but better times will return
Who would be a pilot now? The crisis will have a profound effect on the prospects of the would-be aviators of today, and tomorrow
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OpinionAerospace industry must prepare for the new normal
Before the coronavirus crisis, airlines were forecast to take thousands of new jets. Now, how the industry copes with a wave of deferrals is the next question.
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OpinionUS Marine Corps backs away from tailor-made aircraft - and their expense
Expeditionary demands have honed the US Marine Corps into a unique force with enviable equipment – but its Pacific pivot means much could change