The Month In Air Transport: February 2021
March 01, 2021
10. Podcast: Suddenly, The MAX Is Boeing’s Good News
As Europe clears the MAX's return, 777X and 787 woes cap a horrible year and record loss for Boeing. Listen in as Aviation Week editors discuss.
9. Qantas CEO Details Timeline For Project Sunrise, A380s
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce is hoping to revisit ultra-long-haul operation “Project Sunrise” later in 2021, for a possible launch from 2024, which could coincide with the Australian carrier’s Airbus A380s emerging from storage.
8. Resiliency And Traffic Growth, But Pressure Mounts For Air Cargo
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a tale of two air transport industries: a passenger business that has nearly collapsed—with years expected before a full recovery occurs—and a cargo business that has demonstrated exceptional resiliency and is expected to post double-digit year-over-year (YOY) percentage traffic growth in 2021.
7. NASA Steps Up Civil Hypersonic Studies With Aerion, GE
NASA is transitioning long-running hypersonic technology studies increasingly toward potential commercial applications and has awarded two new contracts supporting high speed design and propulsion work to Aerion Supersonic and GE Aviation respectively.
6. Former Boeing CEO Muilenburg, Industry Vets Hunt For M&A Targets
Former Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg, AirFinance founder Kirsten Touw and other aviation luminaries are joining to launch a new special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) to acquire and take public aerospace and defense businesses.
5. EDITORIAL: It’s No Longer Fear Of Flying; It’s Fear Of Arriving
It used to be that when someone said they were afraid to fly, what they really meant was they were afraid of crashing.
4. How Much Of The 737 MAX Grounding Can Be Attributed To COVID-19?
Ask The Editors: Regulators working on the 737 MAX were not buoyed by the pandemic, but COVID-19 was not a major factor on downtime.
3. Airbus Says Aerostructures Will Remain Core, Gives Cautious Outlook
Around a decade after preparing to divest its aerostructures businesses, Airbus is now reversing course and wants to keep component manufacturing inside the group for the long term.
2. Opportunity During A Crisis: 30+ Airlines Line Up For Launch
With it being said that the number of 2021 airline startups could surpass that of 2020 failures due to the favorable conditions that could support low-cost bases, we take a look at some of the new airline startups around the world.
1. Boeing Makes Moves On Airbus A321XLR Competitor Plan
Boeing is taking the first tentative steps towards an all-new airliner designed to compete with the Airbus A321XLR and, despite the current cost and market headwinds, has begun sounding out suppliers for provisional requests for information.
Last month saw Qantas detail the timeline for Project Sunrise, NASA stepped up civil hypersonic studies with Aerion and GE and 30+ new airlines prepared for launch, seizing the opportunities COVID-19 has presented. Take a look at our roundup of the biggest stories in February.