Page 3 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2018 Online Magazine

CREDIT EDITOR’S NOTE
LINE
Editor
Vittorio Rossi Prudente
vittorio.prudente@gbp.com.sg
Deputy Editor
Jay Menon
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Bangalore Bureau Chief
Atul Chandra
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Singapore Bureau Chief
Aprajita Anil
aprajita.anil@gbp.com.sg
US Bureau Chief
Arun Sivasankaran
arun.sivasankaran@gbp.com.sg
Contributors
Geoffrey Thomas
Operations Director
Siva Sachi
siva.sachi@gbp.com.sg
Art Director
Miamica Khonglah
maya.khonglah@gbp.com.sg
Web Director
Elmer Valencia
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Circulation Manager
Akshay Satyamurthy
akshay.satyamurthy@gbp.com.sg
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27 th
YEAR
ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE is a bi-monthly publication for professionals working in all sectors of the airline, airport and related industries. Opinions
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ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE
Headed into the Clear
As the global commercial aviation industry looks forward to 2019 as
the year that will mark a decade of profits for the industry; the overall
market sentiment is one of cautious optimism, as airlines are well
aware that they can be buffeted at any time due to oil shocks and
volatile economic or political sentiments. Airlines and national
aviation regulators will also be striving for a repeat of 2017, when it
comes to flight safety, as there were no fatalities on passenger jets
that year. Airline safety will no doubt be aided by the digital transfor-
mation of the aviation sector, which is likely to lead to one of the
safest periods in air travel in the coming decade. This is of course of
utmost importance as the number of air journeys are projected to
double from more than four billion today to in-excess of eight billion
by 2037.
“Air travel has never been such a good deal for consumers. Not only
are fares staying low, the options for travelers are expanding. Some
1,300 new direct links between cities were opened in 2018. And 250
million more journeys by air occurred in 2018 than in 2017,” says
Alexandre de Juniac, IATA Director General and CEO. The industry
body has forecast another year of overall profitability for the global
airline industry, which will help drive growth for the sector. This will be
aided by lower jet fuel prices, expected to average US$81.3/barrel in
2019, as compared to the US$87.6/barrel average for 2018. The
entry into service of larger numbers of new more fuel-efficient aircraft,
will allow also their airline operators to be more competitive vis-à-vis
rivals still flying older less fuel-efficient aircraft.
The commercial aviation industry however, must quickly find a
solution to the scarcity of qualified personnel, which this has already
begun to impact airlines, some of whom have been forced to cut back
on their flight schedules to pilot shortages. All in all, airlines will need
to adopt a carefully considered approach towards their affairs in
2019, if they are to enter the next decade in good health. I take this
opportunity, to wish all our readers a happy new year 2019 with safe
skies and happy landings!
Editor
Asian Airlines & Aerospace
Global Business Press Pte.Ltd.
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