THE new venue for Dubai’s international air show, which opened on November 17th, is yet another testament to the ambitions of the tiny Gulf state. Al Maktoum airport, when fully operational in 2027, will handle 160m passengers a year on five runways. And it will operate in tandem with Dubai’s older airport, which is closer to its centre and currently welcomes 60m travellers a year. The punt on continued growth in demand is also reflected in the big orders for new planes that the region’s airlines announced at this week’s show.
“When the lingua franca of Europe was Latin, commentators remarked on just how complex Europe was to govern. Nothing has changed. However, today the lingua franca is [European] Commission bureaucratese. Of all the complex bits of European governance, one of the most complex and difficult to explain has to be the prohibition on State Aid. No other country or region has rules that prohibit State Aid. Indeed, most countries look at ways to hand out largesse. Every trade association has entire departments devoted to begging for State Aid or distributing it once it arrives. Europe, as we so often see, is different. Europe’s rules prohibit handing out State Aid if it distorts any market. Given that the point of State Aid is to distort markets, that just about covers the field.”
-Andrew Charlton, “State Aid and Airports: Pork Barrel Meets Sausage Machine,” Aviation Intelligence Reporter, October 2013
Etihad has been “in the right place at the right time”, according to Andrew Charlton of Aviation Advocacy. “But to say that is not to gainsay what the management of the airline has managed to do. Its strategy into the future will rely on finding new passenger feeds, either from new routes or from alliances with partners,” he said.
GAO on dire FAA budget prospects, UAS tidal wave may hit ATC, Fees for ATC
“It is a remarkable fact that even today, with all the equipment and technology available, each and every flight is lovingly hand-made, as if it were artisanal cheese. Not only are flights planned in meticulous detail, but they are then escorted by hand across the sky. It is expensive, it is time-consuming, and it ignores the benefits that technology can bring. It also has to stop. We can no longer afford to hold each flight up by hand. Instead, we need to find new ways of working that marshal technology, create efficiency, and give us room for growth. Oh, wait, no-we have all the technology already. So why are we not implementing it?”
–Andrew Charlton, “The ANSP-Airline Relationship: Handmade Cheese, But No Maturity?” Aviation Intelligence Reporter, August 2013
The aviation industry might then have the good grace to hang its head in shame. Passengers on aircraft will be able to talk to the ground, use the internet to look at news and . . . weather. Meanwhile, in the front of the aircraft, the pilots will rely on forecasts several hours old and then try to decipher instructions sent to them by controllers on VHF radios. ‘Safety’ says the aviation industry smugly. Aviation has special spectrum protected by being in the ‘safety of life’ bands. Because knowing what is going on, having up-to-date and accurate weather information and being able to communicate simply is clearly not safe. . . . So, at the front of the plane, the really important part of the aircraft, we carry on as if it is 1950, because we don’t want competition or innovation.”
—Andrew Charlton, “Aviation Regulation: Refusing to Answer the Call?” Aviation Intelligence Reporter, September 2012
Frank Brenner, formerly of DFS, the German ANSP, quietly lobbied for the role of Director General of Eurocontrol by producing a blueprint for reforming ATM in Europe, writes Andrew Charlton of Aviation Advocacy.
Business aircraft charter is still reliant on brokers. Richard Koe and Andrew Charlton of Aviation Advocacy argue that the industry needs to be bold and change the way all flights are sold.
A new front is opening up in the rapid expansion of Persian Gulf-based airlines as they target services between the U.S. and Europe for the first time with a mix of direct flights and partnerships.
Dubai’s Emirates Airline will start flying between New York and Milan from October, while Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways will also feed passengers to the U.S. through Dublin via a deal with Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus.
The two carriers and Qatar Airways have been adding flights to the Americas, having grown rapidly by linking European cities with Asia and Africa through their hometown hubs and winning market share from carriers such as British Airways, Air France-KLM SA and Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
Trans-Atlantic routes are among the most profitable for the European flag carriers. Andrew Charlton, a consultant at Aviation Advocacy in Switzerland, said the new services would put European flag carriers under further pressure.
Some European airlines have urged regional regulators not to grant the Gulf carriers any more market access, alleging they receive unfair government support. All three deny such charges.
“[The Emirates announcement] means that the requirement for jobs and growth in Italy has now outweighed the arguments of the legacy carriers about protectionism,” said Mr. Charlton.
Emirates will launch a daily flight in October between New York and Milan, expanding on its existing three daily flights to Milan from its Dubai hub and tapping into what the airline views as underserved premium and cargo markets between Italy and North America.
The Milan flight is being launched with a special authorization from Italian regulators under the open-skies aviation treaty between the U.S. and the European Union. The United Arab Emirates also has an open skies deal with the U.S.
Emirates said it estimated that half the passengers between Milan and North America travel via another European hub, and the carrier aims to capture extra traffic by connecting with airline partners at both ends of the service.
The airline already has an alliance with JetBlue Airways Group Inc., the largest carrier at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The new Milan service—operated with a Boeing Co. 777-300ER—will link with domestic Italian flights operated byEasyjet PLC, the U.K.-based low-cost specialist.
Emirates said it currently had no plans to launch further trans-Atlantic flights from other European cities.
Etihad won approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation to put its ‘EY’ flight code on Aer Lingus trans-Atlantic services out of Dublin to New York, Boston and Chicago. Etihad has a 3% stake in the Irish airline.
Dublin is viewed as a particularly attractive gateway to the U.S. as passengers can preclear U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Ireland. Long-standing efforts to open a similar U.S. immigration facility in Abu Dhabi have been opposed by the U.S. pilots’ union, among others.
Finance Minister Harris Georgiadis has said that Cyprus Airways could collapse at any time, while Transport Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos described it as a ticking bomb.
Wednesday, 10 April 2013 08:17
Finance Minister Harris Georgiadis has said that Cyprus Airways could collapse at any time, while Transport Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos described it as a ticking bomb.
Mitsopoulos noted that precious time had been lost in the restructuring of the ailing national carrier, as the previous government had failed to implement a proposal submitted by Air France experts, more than a year ago.
Nathan Morley speaks to Andrew Charlton, the Managing Director of the Europe-based government and public affairs firm Aviation Advocacy. He advises airlines, airports and industry suppliers on strategic issues concerning air transport.
Andrew is well known for his forward looking and innovative thinking and writing. Before starting Aviation Advocacy in 2005, Andrew held senior strategic and government affairs roles at SITA and IATA. He was also Chief Legal Officer of Qantas Airways.
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