All Opinion articles – Page 20
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Opinion
OPINION: Leahy leaves lasting legacy with Emirates deal
Any doubts that the future of Airbus’s flagship product was genuinely under threat were demolished by the blunt assessment from outgoing head salesman John Leahy. If Emirates did not buy more, the A380 programme was finished, he said.
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Opinion
OPINION: BAE research project promises stealth advance
Most of the magic in stealth aircraft design is created by geometry. By shaping an aircraft surface to reflect transmitted radio waves away from their source, the radar is effectively blinded. This works fine as long the stealthy aircraft has no need to manoeuvre. Any change in direction or altitude ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Airframers should approach further rate rises with caution
Boeing in 2017 successfully transitioned to a production rate of 47 aircraft per month on its 737 line, as it works to address its swelling single-aisle backlog, which hit 4,668 firm orders at year-end.
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Opinion
OPINION: Engine arrival signals China's supply chain progress
By rolling out the first locally designed high-bypass turbofan on 29 December, China joined one of the most exclusive clubs in the global aerospace industry.
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Opinion
OPINION: Boeing and Embraer have much to gain from tie-up
A combination of Boeing and Embraer would make a powerful team in commercial aviation, deepen a potentially disruptive alliance with Saab in the defence market, and could upset the business aviation status quo.
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Opinion
OPINION: First A380 sellers have the advantage
If Airbus does decide to end production of the Airbus A380, then the secondary market for the European manufacturer's flagship jet will likely favour the first sellers.
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Opinion
OPINION: A fresh start at Airbus
Not since the extraordinary round of musical chairs which followed the A380 crisis of 2006 has Airbus faced a more substantial overhaul of its senior management.
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Opinion
OPINION: Singapore's cabin shines, but will it sell more A380s?
The plight currently facing Airbus on its A380 programme is neatly – although perhaps inadvertently – summed up by customer Singapore Airlines (SIA).
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Opinion
OPINION: The airline industry's success stories from 2017
Airlines’ headline figures for 2017 are impressive, reflecting another year of rising traffic and impressive profits.
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Opinion
OPINION: Travel disruptors are airline investment opportunity
Japan Airlines flight JL001, operated with a Boeing 777, needs roughly 12h to fly about 4,500nm (8,330km) from Tokyo to San Francisco. A Mach 2.2 airliner could cover the same distance in about 5.5h, or around the time it takes a subsonic airliner to fly across the USA.
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Opinion
OPINION: CSeries deal presents wider opportunity
Aside from the obvious benefit for the health of the programme and for the wider company, Airbus's planned acquisition of a majority stake in the Bombardier CSeries could present another opportunity.
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Opinion
OPINION: Aviation must be more ambitious than CORSIA on emissions
Just over a year ago, the aviation industry – via the UN body ICAO – was patting itself on the back after reaching an agreement on a global scheme to address carbon dioxide emissions.
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Opinion
OPINION: E-Fan X is vital stepping stone
If you want to understand how electric power fits into the future of aviation, pay close attention to the progress of the E-Fan X, the hybrid-electric demonstrator launched by Airbus, Rolls-Royce and Siemens.
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Opinion
OPINION: Leahy will be missed, although not by Boeing
When John Leahy’s name first appeared in Flight International it was within a 14-word brief about appointments at Piper Aircraft, and his was not even the main one.
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Opinion
OPINION: Don't buy the rumours – HNA isn't selling Avolon
Rumours have been circulating within the aircraft leasing community that Avolon could be up for sale to raise liquidity for its shareholder, HNA Group – which has gone on a four-year international shopping spree, taking stakes in some 23 companies or real-estate investments over the past four years.
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Opinion
OPINION: Big challenge lies ahead after A350-1000's certification
One thousand. It's a number which has literary and poetic power – the symbolism of the beginning of a new cycle – and whose digits resemble, fortuitously, the wheels of a triple-axle main landing-gear.
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Opinion
OPINION: UK government must give industry Brexit clarity
For all its corporate reshaping, Airbus is still a highly political animal, and remains attuned to the winds blowing from Berlin and Paris.
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Opinion
OPINION: UAE fighter contest will be one to watch
A Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and a Sukhoi Su-35 shared a common runway ramp for the first time at the Dubai air show.
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Opinion
OPINION: Airbus, Emirates face off over A380 impasse
To concentrate on the Emirates A380 order saga in anticipation of writing large figures in Dubai air show headlines is to ignore the fascinating high-stakes poker game being played in the background – one involving numbers far greater than a couple of dozen aircraft and a few billions of dollars.
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Opinion
OPINION: ATR 72-600 freighter cements turboprop domination
After a heads-up from ATR of an imminent announcement regarding a new aircraft launch, the speculation was that perhaps the fabled 90-seat turboprop was about to become a reality.