Welcome to the newest installment of “The easy Report”! To keep you updated, as usual, we will be summing up major news from the aviation world, with many useful links!
Boom Supersonic finally unveiled the highly anticipated baby Boom, the XB-1, on October 7. Baby Boom is the world’s first independently developed supersonic jet. Baby Boom demonstrates key technologies that will be used to build Boom’s commercial supersonic airliner, Overture, expected to roll out in 2025. Flight testing the XB-1 will start in 2021.
Business aviation seems to be the only element of the aviation industry “surviving” in the pandemic era. According to a press release on October 6, Honeywell stated that it forecasts business jet usage will recover to 2019 levels by the second half of next year. Honeywell’s 29th annual Global Business Aviation Outlook forecasts 7’300 new business jet deliveries over the next decade, valued at more than USD 235 billion. 80% of operators stated that purchase plans have in fact not been affected by the pandemic, and five year purchase plans for new business jets remain largely unchanged from a year ago. For more detailed information on the key findings in the 2020 Honeywell Business Aviation Outlook click here!
In other interesting business aviation news, Airbus Corporate Jets (ACJ) launched its TwoTwenty business jet, based on its A220-100 twinjet design. Demand for this “extra-large business jet” seems to be promising, as six jets were ordered on the same day of the launch! The ACJ TwoTwenty is projected to enter service in early 2023. We will share more details about this up-and-coming in future articles indeed!
Moreover, Textron Aviation announced that it has achieved Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification for its twin turboprop Beechcraft King Air 360/360ER aircraft, paving the way for customer deliveries in the coming weeks! We will discuss the aspects of the Beechcraft King Air 360/360ER in future articles, hopefully.
Urban Air Mobility may be just around the corner!
Volocopter, a German electric air taxi company announced that it will begin testing Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles at Pontoise Airfield near Paris, France. The company aims to develop UAM vehicles with focus on electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL). Its target is to open commercial air taxi routes within 2 to 3 years.
In a press release on October 15, Embraer announced launching a new independent company dedicated to accelerating the UAM ecosystem. The company, named Eve Air Mobility Solutions (Eve), is the first UAM company to graduate from the EmbaerX program.
After 47 years of service and 167’371’776 km flown, British Airways retired the two remaining Boeing 747 aircrafts in their fleet with one last flight on October 8 to commemorate their long-standing service.
AirAsia launched the Redbeat premier tech academy in partnership with Google. The academy was originally created to upskill and cross train AirAsia employees through a series of tech workshops. Its doors are now open to the public.
The commercial aviation world continues to struggle amid the ongoing pandemic, with airlines, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) suffering alike. Yet, companies are still trying to “cope” or “hang-in-by-a-thread”, also known as “survive”.
What are airlines doing to “survive”? Here are a few examples…
In a press release on October 13, Delta Airlines announced a USD 5.4 billion loss in the third quarter of 2020, with operating revenue down 79% and capacity reduced by 63 percent compared to 2019. At the time being, the company is just aiming to “survive”, not expecting a normalized revenue environment before two years. “Coping with the pandemic” at the moment involves accelerating its fleet retirement plans and adjusting aircraft purchasing plans. Delta Airlines is also focusing on restoring customer confidence in travel and building customer loyalty, thus creating a solid foundation for future revenue growth.
American Airlines, on the other hand, is trying to reopen international borders. In collaboration with several foreign governments, American Airlines announced that it has taken the lead to initiate pre-departure COVID-19 testing, starting with Jamaica, the Bahamas and Hawaii. Passengers who test negative will be exempt from the mandatory 14-day quarantine once they reach their destination.
What are Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) doing to survive? Here is an example…
In a press release on October 1, Boeing Original Equipment Manufacturer stated that it would consolidate production of its 787 jets in South Carolina starting mid-2021, as the company continues to take strategic action to preserve liquidity and reposition certain lines of business in the current pandemic-stricken global environment.
That’s all for this month, peeps…
Stay tuned for next week’s installment of “Airport of the Month”!
