This year’s Singapore Airshow could be the biggest yet and, once again, gives the island nation a chance to highlight its aerospace capabilities and its strategic significance as an aviation hub, writes Andrzej Jeziorski. Despite continued economic uncertainty in key markets such as Europe and the USA, demand for new aircraft remains strong – as evidenced by the order and delivery tallies just released by manufacturers Airbus and Boeing (see pages 26-27). Asia’s relatively healthy economies and pent-up demand in China and India are now more alluring to aircraft makers than ever, and all key forecasts for the next two decades show the region as the driver of the continued growth of the global aviation industry. This is encouraging news for the organisers of this year’s Singapore Airshow – the biggest event of its kind outside of Europe.
With last year’s flooding only the latest challenge to Thai Airways’ bottom line, the carrier is pressing ahead with plans to set up a new regional unit and to modernise its fleet, writes Andrzej Jeziorski. It has not been an easy couple of years for airlines in Thailand, which have had to face not only a global recession, but a political crisis that hurt tourist demand and closed airports, then – more recently – months of heavy rainfall that caused widespread flooding and shut down Bangkok’s secondary airport, Don Muang.
With Asia expected to lead growth in air traffic over the next two decades, the region’s MRO providers are expanding engine maintenance capabilities to tap that segment of the market, writes William Dennis. Aircraft engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is the largest segment of the global MRO market and a highly competitive sector for the Asia-Pacific region’s commercial aviation industry. While dedicated MRO service providers are set to benefit from massive expansion in airline fleets over the next two decades, engine makers themselves are also making efforts to expand their share of the market with after-sales support packages.
ontinuing concerns about the global economy have not stifled growth in demand for new aircraft, with Airbus and Boeing together collecting about 2,500 new orders and completing more than 1,000 deliveries in 2011, writes Ian Goold. Just hours after Boeing announced plans late last year to close down its plant in Wichita, Kansas, which dates back to the 1920s when it was the Stearman Aircraft factory, the city authorities were on the phone to rival Airbus, discussing possible expansion of the European company's facility there.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is considering reducing its workforce as it continues to scale down its network as part of a drive to turn its business around. Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya says retrenchments are under consideration, while the MAS Employees Union has said in local press reports that senior airline official intend to cut the workforce. In the meantime, Malaysia’s flag carrier is continuing to slash unprofitable services, refocusing efforts onto its most promising markets.
Late last year, major aviation organisations approved the formation of a group to map out a path towards seamless air traffic management across the Asia-Pacific region, writes Andrzej Jeziorski. In early September, the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO’s) Asia-Pacific planning group approved the formation of a new team to map out a path towards Seamless Asian Skies (SAS), maximising the efficiency of civil aviation in the region.
The investigation into the fatal crash of Air France flight AF447 has controversially shown that the Airbus A330’s crew did not respond correctly to repeated stall warnings. Does this strengthen arguments in favour of introducing cockpit video recorders?