All Opinion articles – Page 37
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OpinionOPINION: Are Gulf VIP airlines a First Class folly?
How elastic is an airline brand? Two of the big three Gulf airlines have built on their reputations for innovative customer service with VIP charter spin-offs to tap a market beyond their top-end scheduled products.
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OpinionOPINION: Nowhere to hide from UAVs?
Civilian unmanned air vehicles – usually very small ones – are already big business, and the industry is growing apace. For that reason, not only the aviation industry but also society as a whole have to decide how best to take advantage of the advances these aircraft can bring, but ...
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OpinionOPINION: Lessons must be learned from 787 battery fires
A pair of lithium ion batteries on the Boeing 787-8 – which should have been risk-assessment afterthoughts compared to the overall electrical system – became unexpected safety problems. Luckily, nobody was hurt and the aircraft escaped heavy damage. Why?
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OpinionOPINION: Where next for Rolls-Royce?
London investment bank Investec has called for a thorough strategy review at Rolls-Royce. The company’s directors may not take up the suggestion but, if they do, they may well conclude that their strategy is just fine as it is. But to propose other options is to raise serious questions for ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Airbus goes back to the drawing board with A350 training
With the imminent entry into service of the Airbus A350, another modern aviation development comes to fruition – not just the A350 hardware or software, but the “liveware”.
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OpinionOPINION: Challenges and opportunities for airlines in 2015
The prospect of a visit from Michael O'Leary dressed as Santa Claus may not be everyone's idea of a perfect Christmas. But should the Ryanair boss decide on a yuletide surprise, one or two European legacy airline CEOs might be hoping he gets stuck down the chimney before having the ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Typhoon radar deal to revive European dogfight
Last week was a pretty good one for two of Europe’s remaining fighter manufacturers, as the continent’s four Eurofighter nations at last committed real money to provide the Typhoon with a new-generation radar, and as Saab received strong and long-term backing from new customer Brazil.
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OpinionOPINION: Virgin Galactic crash shows that big dreams mean big risk
Tragedy has struck space tourism a most cruel blow. First, the 31 October crash of SpaceShipTwo took the life of test pilot Mike Alsbury. Then, images of the in-flight break-up cast a calamitous cloud over the industry’s biggest and most important player – the Virgin Galactic/Scaled Composites team.
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Opinion
OPINION: Embraer must deliver on KC-390 promises
One month ago, Embraer’s suggestion that its KC-390 military airlifter would be flown before year-end seemed the height of optimism, judging by an assembly line image of its first prototype example.
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Opinion
OPINION: Business jet builders must catch up on new designs
A clean sheet of paper can get surprisingly expensive and even risky – especially in the business jet sector. Seven clean-sheet designs of aircraft or families have been unveiled since 2007, when Bombardier launched the composite-skinned Learjet 85. That aircraft is now two years behind schedule and faces an ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Airbus and Boeing are right to have great expectations for China
Austerity-gripped European countries would love China’s problems. As Beijing turns down the inflationary heat, Asia’s biggest economy will grow about 7% this year – much less than the double-digit rates of recent years, but eye-watering by Western standards.
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OpinionOPINION: The crucial task of tackling Europe’s labour issues
It’s been a tough few months for Alexandre de Juniac. Just two days into his strategy to restructure short-haul, the Air France-KLM boss had to make a mid-air turnback – perhaps after instructions from the French government.
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OpinionOPINION: Why aviation should stub out e-cigarette threat
Until now, the debate around electronic cigarettes has centred on their health credentials. While their makers – and many medical experts – claim they are a safe and effective method of quitting tobacco, others fret that so-called vaping is as antisocial as smoking and can be a gateway into that ...
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OpinionOPINION: Gulfstream ups stakes in large cabin battle
Twelve months ago, the biggest mysteries in business aviation were the strategies and designs beneath the cloak of secrecy covering Dassault’s “SMS” project and Gulfstream’s “P42” programme. With the twin unveilings of the Gulfstream G500 and G600, the market finally has answers – along with a few more questions.
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OpinionOPINION: Why flight tracking philosophies must align
Another rift in the competitive landscape between Airbus and Boeing has appeared. Airbus is ready to move forward with a deployable flight data and voice recorder system for commercial aircraft. Boeing has installed deployable recorders on at least three military aircraft fleets, but disagrees that the technology is appropriate or ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Middle-sized jets mean business
Looking at the amount of product innovation on the business aviation market, one might be tempted to think: “Crisis, what crisis?” To give the surviving airframers their due, they responded to the collapse in fortunes in 2008-09 not by hoping normal service would soon be resumed, but by aggressively pursuing ...
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OpinionOPINION: Offshore helicopter companies must maintain collective will
The North Sea is an unforgiving environment. Helicopters flying there are operating in some of the most challenging conditions possible.
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OpinionOPINION: Why Airbus still has a widebody race to run
It has been a good summer for Airbus. Farnborough in July saw the launch of the A330neo, and the last days of a balmy September the first flight of the A320neo and certification of the A350-900. Although the A350 will enter service over two years later than the mid-2012 target ...
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Opinion
OPINION: Why IATA wants to end 'Tom and Jerry' regulation
National aviation authorities (NAA) face a dilemma. Aviation is getting much safer, implying big NAAs are not so necessary, but the industry is also getting larger and more technically and operationally complex, which seems to imply a need for more oversight.
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Opinion
OPINION: Why the time is not right to retire the Tornado
For prize boxers and elite footballers, the decision to retire while at the peak of their capability is often driven by a desire to avoid tarnishing their legacy.