Commercial aviation is shaped by nationhood and foundations agreed by countries at the Chicago Convention of 1944. This event also saw the beginnings of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The initial freedoms of the air which emerged from the convention have been added to since 1944 and still form the basis of the air service agreements negotiated today between countries. The agreements then give airlines registered in the respective countries specific commercial rights of passenger and cargo carriage. Given…
Recently, I participated in a discussion panel about the Boeing 737 MAX incidents, which took me to a lot of research, and deep thinking about the aviation industry, which I admire and respect. Studying the final report on the Lion Air 610 accident, I realized that technology can create better…
To put it plainly, this year has been one to forget for Boeing. It wasn't even nine months ago that Ethiopian Airways flight 302 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Nairobi, Kenya tragically fell out of the sky, killing all 157 aboard in what has seemed to become the beginning of…
At over 8,000 nautical miles, The Singapore-Newark route is currently the world's longest with regularly scheduled service. It’s a very prestigious route flown by Singapore Airlines using its Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft designed specifically with the route in mind. First opened with the Airbus A340-500 earlier in the century, the route…
Thursday morning brought the release of Southwest Airlines' third-quarter results. While Chief Executive Gary Kelly brought forth a number of interesting statistics showing the airline continues to be financially and operationally resilient despite massive troubles that continue to plague the airline's Boeing 737 MAX fleet, that wasn't the most interesting…
Behind a great airline, there is usually a great airport, but great airports also need a great airline. It is not by coincidence that Turkey built an impressive new airport as the country clearly has an impressive national airline that will bring in traffic and revenue. Turkish Airlines is an…
Delta Air Lines is one of the world's largest air carriers and, now, certainly the most formidable force in the global aviation market. In a shocking announcement on Thursday afternoon, the Atlanta-based company said it would be taking a 20 percent stake in LATAM, Latin America's biggest airline conglomerate. Delta will…
I love frequent flyer programs. Honestly, it may be safer to say I love all of the debate and discussion they create. Whether it's about how to achieve an airline's highest level of status for as cheap as possible or whether the rewards are actually worth the cost, I could…
Virgin Atlantic revealed this week that they would be interested in looking into the U.K. domestic market again should the slot system be reorganized after London Heathrow airport’s coming expansion. Virgin Atlantic says that a new system would “enable the creation of a second flag carrier” as it hopes it…
Recently it was announced that the three largest state-owned Chinese carriers have placed orders for the Chinese manufactured Comac ARJ21-700. The 90 seater single aisle aircraft are to be used by Air China, China Southern, and China Eastern primarily as capacity expansion and feeder flights. This is the first major…
