A debate about the need for global flight-tracking and data streaming is back on the airwaves after AirAsia flight QZ8501 disappeared from radar on Dec. 28.
China finally has an indigenously designed airliner, following the issue of a type certificate for the Comac ARJ21-700 regional jet by the country’s civil aviation authority.
The growth potential in many Asia-Pacific markets offers airlines an opportunity unrivaled in any other global region. However, carriers here are also facing the fact that to tap into the expected bonanza, they must remain financially viable in the short term. This is one of the challenges facing most Asian airlines in 2015—growing sufficiently to ensure they can grab their share of the action without creating capacity oversupply. Market data show that the balance tipped too far toward supply in 2014, and now a readjustment is needed.
The air cargo industry is entering a year of many unknowns. Significant additional belly capacity will become available as more passenger widebodies are delivered, and lower fuel prices may lead to better margins, but only through rational capacity deployment.
Airlines are showing by their orders that they are willing to accept the reengined derivative concept for narrowbodies as well as widebodies. And manufacturers in Asia are edging further into the civil aircraft production field.
IAG eyes Aer Lingus, which would broaden its reach into Ireland and the U.K., but even more attractive to the group is the Irish airline’s 3% share of London-Heathrow slots. With these, IAG could stage more profitable long-haul flying.
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Concerned that tens of thousands Americans will receive small quadcopters as gifts this holiday season, the FAA and industry have teamed to produce educational materials in an attempt to prevent potential accidents in the air and on the ground.
Boeing’s selection of two suppliers for key elements of the 777X avionics system and digital backbone means the status quo for some 787 providers and a changing of the guard for others.
The sheer number and diversity of vehicles with which civil aviation will be sharing airspace has helped spur technologies, especially those that are efficiency-related.
The overall helicopter market, which has been fairly moribund in recent years, appears likely to get a boost from the loosening of civil regulations in China.
