The grounding of almost all the world’s airline fleets under the Covid-19 pandemic has left airlines with very little if any revenue to cover its massive fixed costs. This has caused huge damage that in many cases will be irreparable to airlines. Here is just a sample: Airbus has 60Read More →
Elmar Conradie is the CEO of FlySafair. As South Africa enters its ninth week of lockdown, he shares his views on the prospects for his airline and how they are responding to the Covid-19 crisis. GL: Will FlySafair be able to survive if government does not assist you? EC: IfRead More →
As I write this, the big question for everybody who has an interest in SAA is whether Covid-19 is the final nail in the airline’s coffin? In early March we finally saw the first clear signs from the business rescue practitioners of their turnaround strategy. And it was ugly, withRead More →
China has been a latecomer to African aviation. Ethiopian Airlines started flying to China in November 1973 but there were precious few other air links between Africa and China for 30 years. Imperialistically speaking, African aviation has been a bit of a mixed bag. The involvement of former colonial powersRead More →
In his opening Address to this year’s Airline Association of Southern Africa (AASA) conference AASA CEO Chris Zweigenthal addressed the key question: “What’s stopping us? What’s not?” This is an edited version of his address presented in a question and answer format. HOW IS THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY DOING? The InternationalRead More →
SAA is leasing two A350-900s from Hainan Airlines and two from Air Mauritius. The leases are all three year sub-leases and we can only hope that SAA acquired them at singularly competitive rates as the original client airlines no longer wanted them. By the time you read this SAA shouldRead More →
Namibian airline, Westair, made its inaugural flight into Cape Town on Friday 4 October 2019. The airline will be offering 7 flights a week for 4 days a week from Eros Airport in Windhoek, stopping at Oranjemund on the way to Cape Town. Cape Town is the first international destinationRead More →
Boeing has created a new safety committee to oversee both design and manufacturing in a move the company said reaffirms its “longstanding commitment to aerospace safety and the safety of its products and services.” Called the Aerospace Safety Committee (ASC), this permanent office will be headed by retired Admiral EdmundRead More →
Practically the first thing anyone wants to know about a new aeroplane is how fast it goes. This very basic question is curiously hard to answer. Airspeed is measured by the pitot-static system. (The word pitot, by the way, comes from the name of Henri Pitot, who came up withRead More →
