Upbeat Music and Color-coded Carpets to Speed Up Boarding, Autonomous Planes and More
Aviation news brief today
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Here are the exciting aviation industry updates for today. Let’s get started.
Autonomous planes could save airlines billions - but will you fly without pilots?
According to experts, autonomous planes may become a reality in the commercial aviation industry in the next decade.
Aircraft manufacturers and airlines are working hard to make it happen, and the FAA is preparing for it, but passengers may not be as eager.
The autonomous planes will likely provide a potential cost savings of over $35 billion annually for the aviation industry. However, the plan could be doomed if the passengers do not feel ease with the technology. Read more
Swanky chauffeur-driven service for high-end flyers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
DFW International Airport has approved the lease of a 12,200-square-foot private luxury facility for servicer PS, formerly the Private Suite.
Luxury flyers will be able to pay for the service, including a chauffeur-driven car to take passengers to the aircraft, private suites, and a lounge. The company plans to serve every route or airline, domestic or international.
According to the PS website, an all-access membership has an annual fee of $4,850, with additional fees based on the types of services a passenger wants. PS launched at Los Angeles International Airport in 2017 as the first private terminal for commercial travel in the US. Read more
French startup receives green light to build hybrid-electric aircraft factory in Toulouse
AURA AERO, a French hybrid-electric aircraft startup, has been granted permission to construct its own factory at Toulouse-Francazal airport in southern France.
The facility will be used to build the INTEGRAL and ERA hybrid-electric aircraft. The new factory boasts a production capacity of 150 aircraft per year and the potential to employ up to 1,600 workers.
The investment is expected to cost €150m and has been supported by local and regional authorities. ERA aircraft production is expected to start before the end of 2025. Read more
Air New Zealand accelerates plans for sustainable aircraft fleet
Air New Zealand has launched an accelerator program called "Mission Next Generation Aircraft" to introduce zero-emission planes by 2026.
The company has partnered with seven innovative aircraft developers to develop electric, green hydrogen, and hybrid aircraft, with further partners to work on the technology and infrastructure required for the program.
Air New Zealand initially signed a "statement of intent to order" for three aircraft, with further options for 20. The airline hopes to replace its Q300 domestic fleet with green hydrogen or battery hybrid systems in 2030. Read more
Upbeat music and color-coded carpets: Southwest Airlines' latest plan to speed up boarding
Southwest Airlines is experimenting with new boarding tactics at four gates in Atlanta airport to speed up the process and reduce the time the plane spends between flights by “five minutes”.
Southwest's smaller 737s take an average of 40 minutes, and larger ones take 50 minutes to "turn."
Since the 1970s, the majority of Boeing's standard fleet has experienced a 50% slowdown in passenger boarding time, according to research by the manufacturer.
Southwest's new tactics include playing up-tempo music, displaying boarding countdowns on monitors, and using carpeted areas in different colors to section off pre-boarding passengers. Read more
AerCap CEO predicts aircraft delivery delays to last several years, driving demand for leased aircraft and higher lease rates
Aengus Kelly, the CEO of AerCap, the world's largest aircraft lessor, believes that strong post-pandemic air travel and delays in new aircraft deliveries will continue to drive demand for leased aircraft and push up lease rates.
Kelly expects ongoing regulatory and supply chain issues affecting aircraft production to persist for several years.
He also anticipates the reopening of air travel in China and airlines' plans to boost capacity to exacerbate the supply-demand imbalance for aircraft, particularly on the widebody side. Read more
easyJet goes bigger: plans to replace A319s with A320s and A321s for more revenue opportunities
easyJet plans to retire 40% of its Airbus A319 aircraft by 2026 and replace them with A320s and A321s. This will allow the airline to benefit from lower seat-mile costs and increased revenue opportunities from fares and ancillaries.
It will also enable the airline to grow at slot-constrained airports, resulting in lower unit costs and customer fares.
The move towards larger aircraft means that easyJet's seats per flight have increased from 173 to 180 since 2019, narrowing the gap with Ryanair.
According to the company's Head of Network and Airports EU, Manual Vale, a mixed fleet remains important for managing markets and flexibility. Read more
Qantas to create over 8,500 high-skilled jobs in the Australian aviation industry
Qantas Group plans to create more than 8,500 high-skilled jobs in Australian aviation over the next ten years.
It includes 1,600 pilots, 800 engineers, 4,500 cabin crew, and 1,600 airport operations staff to support investments in new aircraft and increased flying demand.
The airline will need around 200 new engineering recruits yearly for the next decade to meet growth and replace retiring staff, exceeding the Australian national supply of new aviation engineers.
It will establish the Qantas Group Engineering Academy to train up to 300 engineers annually. The Academy will also provide aviation engineers for the broader aviation industry. Read more
From Southwest's meltdown to FAA's NOTAM outage: reassessing air transportation modernization
Following the recent failures of the FAA and Southwest Airlines, experts suggest it is time for Congress and the airline industry to reassess how they approach and fund air transportation modernization.
Both failures reveal fundamental challenges facing the sprawling and increasingly antiquated U.S. air travel network.
To prevent similar blunders in the future, experts suggest updating old IT systems and business practices, changing the way the FAA is funded, and modernizing the air traffic control system.
Successful projects such as NextGen can serve as a model for reform, while funding reform and technological upgrades are necessary for a more robust system. Read more
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