All opinion
Airlines end 2024 navigating more uncertainties
As the year comes to an end, airlines face more uncertainty around the impact of external factors on performance, writes Ctaira analyst Chris Tarry
Is Trump’s election a setback for airline sustainability efforts?
A second term for Donald Trump is likely to complicate the net-zero journey for airlines. Whether or not the reality turns out better than the rhetoric, the industry has lots to lose by failing to uphold its environmental commitments
Airlines must keep the fundamentals in mind
Basic economics suggest fares will continue to fall in many markets while costs are unlikely to follow suit, writes CTAIRA’s Chris Tarry
Sustainability will change every aspect of the airline business
It is hard to think of any area of the airline business that will be unchanged as the net-zero effort intensifies, argues airline marketing specialist Shashank Nigam
Airline leadership lessons from a generation of growth
Reflecting on 25 years of insight into the global airline sector and what it means for strategies today
Has marketing become the most risky airline job?
Once considered a glamorous role, airline marketing now requires navigation of sustainability sensitivities
Resist political pressure to renege on ESG commitments
The airline industry must not be tempted to undo its achievements so far on workforce diversity and the huge net-zero challenge by embracing the regressive policies favoured by politicians who might soon hold the balance of power in some geographies
Why United is right to lead team of rivals in sustainability fund
The US major is setting an example for others to follow by engaging its competitors with its Sustainable Flight Fund
Airlines are back, yes, but not necessarily better
As traffic returns to pre-Covid levels, more airlines will discover that inconvenient market fundamentals still apply
When it comes to airline M&A, is the gain still worth the pain?
The past 12 months have seen consolidation moves touch more carriers. But at the same time, the sentiment from governments and regulators appears to be hardening against airline tie-ups, raising questions about the future viability of such moves
In support of the European slot rules - the ‘unsung hero’ of the air traffic system
IATA deputy director general Conrad Clifford argues that over the past 30 years, the European Slot Regulation has enabled huge benefits for travelers and suggests, ’if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’
Merger gives Thai something to Smile about, but it must act fast
The merger of regional operator Thai Smile into parent Thai Airways International finally closes the chapter on regional airline units in Asia, and Thai must now act quickly to make up for lost ground, especially in the face of low-cost competition.
Airlines should prioritise storytelling, not statements, on sustainability
United Airlines is setting a strong example with its latest sustainability campaign, which notably avoids broad-brush statements, writes airline marketing specialist Shashank Nigam
What should the expectations from Single European Sky really be?
Former director general of air traffic management trade body CANSO, Graham Lake, argues the much-criticised Single European Sky project deserves credit for what has been achieved, but that better expectations management and fuller accountability for (lack of) progress and investment decisions at a local level is required .
War, not pandemic, creates ‘new normal’ for airline industry
While many of the adjustments made by airlines during the Covid-19 crisis would once have been unthinkable, the industry that is emerging from the pandemic looks quite a lot like the 2019 one. War, on the other hand, is forcing some fundamental rethinks
What does fuel price volatility mean for airline strategies
Tighter capacity discipline and fewer discounted fares are among the likely outcomes as airlines use a number of levers to mitigate a renewed higher – and more volatile - oil price environment, writes Jet Link International vice-president René Armas Maes
Why labour stretch threatens to derail air travel recovery
CTAIRA analyst Chris Tarry looks at how the challenge of retraining and building back workforces, so heavily cut to survive the pandemic by players across the air travel chain, threatens to derail the pace of recovery
Airlines fret about demand tipping point as costs rise everywhere
There are few things that airlines have been more confident about in recent months than the ‘pent-up’ demand for air travel that would drive the Covid-19 recovery.
Why Europe’s joint step towards decarbonisation by 2050 now needs ICAO
Airlines for Europe (A4E) managing director Thomas Reynaert on why the landmark Toulouse Declaration on decarbonisation signed earlier in February by European governments and industry stakeholders must be followed by a commitment from ICAO at its triennial assembly this autumn.
If 2022 is not the year for new airline partnerships, when will be?
As the sector emerges from the pandemic, many airline chief executives are talking up the value of partnerships with renewed enthusiasm.
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