Defense and Space
Article | June 8, 2022
The COVID-19 effect has been tendered on business aviation than commercial aviation. However, it is the operations that reported a surge in demand for business aviation. The demand has been witnessed from new businesses and and those who revamped their operations amid travel restrictions.
In 2020, the airline industry experienced a heavy loss of worth USD252 billion, reports IATA. The industry players were at risk, which included accounting with direct economic destruction. Prompted by other risks factors such as restrictions on movements, especially travel limitations due to COVID-19, there is a serious need for the industry to access its operations competently.
So here are two crucial questions that took the heat. First, how is the industry going to manage economic uncertainties, travel restrictions, and market instability? And second, how may these affect aviation business conclusions in the coming years?
Such considerations may include some crucial aspects. They are changes in valuation methods, revision of future investments with existing liabilities, re-assessment of forecasted fuel consumption, revision of manufacturing, marketing, and others.
This blog is aimed at capturing the impact of COVID-19. And how business aviation can proceed to bridge gaps across multiple travel restrictions, both during and after the COVID-19 crisis. To delve into detail, let's go further.
The Level of Airline Business Drop and Recovery
Globally, the aviation businesses were severely harmed by 80% in 2020. The industry players found it extremely complex to navigate the commitments. Also, their work with collaborations is slated for the same year.
Customers seemed uninterested in discussing new business acquisitions due to COVID travel restrictions on business. However, some operators preyed on lower prices and increased demand for aviation services and products. These were mainly in the manufacturing and marketing fields. The reason is some corporate clients easily adapted to the emergence of digital platforms. They switched to zoom calls to replace personal contacts and connections.
Michael Walsh, CEO of Aer Mobi, says,
“OEMs have now announced a major drop in production capacity. Potential buyers could be from booming sectors financial services and online sales as they may seek to purchase high-profit products. These will be only a few brilliant spots for new aircraft purchases for OEMs.”
On the same note, Shaun Quigley, Managing Director, Volantair Air Charter, says
“In the time of crisis, the ability is to “pull one’s head in." This is what will happen at least until the final quarter of 2021.”
Business aviation in 2021 will hover around 25% to 30% globally, says Jose Rego, Senior Director – Market Intelligence and Strategy, Embraer Executive Jets. The rebound will be sluggish until 2025.
While the travel businesses' situation in the pandemic is not up to mark, its believed that digital transformation is viable to conduct airline operations. Such transformation will drive sales eventually following the rise of trending technologies simultaneously.
Aviation Business by 2030
A major transformation is promised by an array of powerful new technologies and corporate clients’ pressure. The industry plays that turn this trend to their advantage have the opportunity to redefine, restructure, reform, and reshape their business amid air travel restrictions.
So how will the key players of the aviation sector take their businesses forward by 2025 and beyond? Here is the outline of vital forces that the sector will see transforming.
Robotics Maintenance
Currently, airline operations maintenance accounts for approximately 20% of the operating costs. However, as the pandemic happened, market players and novel inventions are placing big hopes on the intelligent automation of maintenance.
For example, Airbus uses two seven-axis robots on the new fourth A320 line in Hamburg to conduct 80% of their business operations, thus improving functional aspects for employees.
Intelligent automation is fueled by terabytes of data. The data could be stored and used by businesses to manage operations easily. The addition of robotics and AI in aviation has increased the digitalization shift landscape for established players. From automatic scanning, data mining to improved diagnostics, robotics has a significant role in the future of aviation operations and maintenance.
Use of Alternative Sources of Energy
The shifting of environmental sentiments has made the aviation industry include greenhouse gases, electrofuels, hydrogen, and even batteries. The industry has set a target of cutting down high energy emitter fuels by half by 2030.
Companies like Airbus have impressive plans to develop hydrogen planes in the next 15 years. Even for eleven years, SkyNRG has been known for supplying "advanced waste" biofuels to airlines. These fuels are recycled from industrial waste, cooking oil, agricultural and forestry residues.
New technologies from engineering and manufacturing of aerodynamic are going to play a significant role in upcoming airline trends like specialized and improved designs and the use of carbon-efficient biofuels and electric
In this case, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) research found out that around 5.5% of aviation fuel could come from sustainable origins by 2030. Basically, it would be primarily from advanced waste biofuels.
Aviation Business: Witnessing Some Hope
There is an anticipation that the established aviation businesses will pick up their pace by 2022 amid COVID 19 restrictions.
Interestingly, there has been a pick up in air travel (essential air travel) in a specific part of the world. However, in some Asian countries, travel activity is estimated to be less than 40%. But the travel demand is expected to be higher in the years ahead.
Aviation business operators expect expanded business with new criteria of sales—digital. They might witness growth due to new prospect acquisitions that have adopted the digital workforce. The businesses expect green shoots of growth in the travel industry. Especially from business travel classes as these are seeking to experience fly again.
Business aviation traffic in 2021 highlighted the growing interest from buyers. On this, Jose Rego, Senior Director – Market Intelligence and Strategy, Embraer Executive Jets elaborates,
“There may be a peripheral surge in demand from first-time buyers; I expect this to affect fractional sales initially.”
Therefore, now IATA estimates that governments globally will provide $160 billion in support, loans, and tax breaks so that airline businesses can cover current costs.
Safety is Priority, so is Business
The aviation industry acclaims that business aviation might be on track sooner. In this context, the presence of a qualified team and fast-track applications, software, and platforms could help operators to function in a safe and well-maintained way.
As the aviation industry continues to plan new air travel rules (essential), aviation business is at an optimum point. Its crucial role in supplies, sales, business development, and essential air travel services has redefined the face of business. Thus, in this way aviation business has paved the way to make a strong comeback in the coming years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can future measures due to the pandemic suggest for the aviation industry?
Airline businesses must have a robust plan which establishes the core of business aviation. The future is for market leaders. How they will manage roles and responsibilities responding to the crisis. Finally, national authorities will have a crucial role in stimulating demand and fostering the rapid recovery of the airport business. Restoring consumer confidence will be an essential part of this effort.
What is the COVID-19 advice for the aviation industry?
The global market leaders are actively managing the impact of COVID-19 to ensure aviation safety and to support the industry’s return to normal safety assurance activities. They have put efforts on surveillance approach on every business operation to increase accuracy by introducing technologies.
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Air Transport
Article | July 15, 2022
Drones may be troublesome at some points in the supply chain. It can cause many hurdles and safety hazards. But what about the vast potential that drones carry to assist and even improve safety?
The topic of discussion in this blog revolves around drones in the supply chain. Are these advantageous or troublesome? The blog showcases both sides of the coin.
According to the global commercial drone market’s study, drones are expected to witness growth of 26%. It is going to reach a value of $10,738m by 2022. Aren’t these figures impressive?
While the pandemic has forced industries and businesses to increase touch-less mechanisms, the increasing demand for contactless deliveries has given drones a wide-ranging opportunity to be reliable. Did you know that over twenty thousand drones are registered for commercial use with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today? Many of which are already being used in the supply chain process.
A study by MarketsandMarkets indicates the drone package delivery market might surge from $528 million in 2020 to $39 billion in 2030 at a rate of 53.8%. Similarly, Gartner estimates that drone delivery will reduce delivery costs by 70%.
These show a promising future for drone technology to hover industries and would significantly affect customers across the globe.
How Exactly are Drones Changing Supply Chain Processes?
Automation is becoming a comprehensive solution in the distribution industry. A report by the Brookings Institute mentions that over 70% of jobs may be automated. In that case, drone technology is the main focus today.
On the other hand, some view automation as a threat. But with the help of automation, drones would make manual jobs redundant and destroy industries like aviation, transportation, production, and others involved throughout the global supply chain. However, several defenders of automation note that drone technology rarely replaces manual work. Instead, it tends to free up workers from a challenging workforce, reduces workloads and increases efficiency. As a result of this, companies become more productive.
In the realm of the supply chain process, drones offer the chance to completely change inventory management ways and shipping methods. And thus, companies can operate quicker and errorless management.
“As drones prove to be the next automation technology within the supply chain, businesses globally would do well. But to incur drone technology to their operations, they need to start investigating strategies to see if they would suitable their business model. My advice is to start looking for help from experts to understand the technological challenges, facts, and boundaries of using drones as part of your supply chain processes before going all-in too quickly.”
- Trish Young’s, UK Head of Business Consulting – Retail, Consumer Goods, Travel & Hospitality at Cognizant.
Let’s get into the advantages of drones that supply chain companies and industries are already reaping.
Advantages of Drones
Monitoring Supply Chain Delivery Courses
Drones in the supply chain assist in monitoring supply chain courses for barriers. Therefore, it could positively impact the entire delivery process via transport carriers . In addition, drones are used for monitoring road conditions and other hazards in the delivery process. In this way, a delivery operator can quickly select an alternative shipping process and make efforts to achieve a faster or on-time delivery.
Drones in Warehouses
Drones in warehouses can be used for inventory counting, improving safety before the supply process starts. Warehouses are full of products kept for supply or shipping to different locations via different modes of transport. In this case, using drones, the scanning of products and data will be faster by having barcodes. In addition, as drones are much safer, they eliminate the need for workers to scale up monitoring and thus save time. Here are some other ways drones can help warehouses in:
Providing better accuracy
Reducing human labor costs
Reducing workplace injuries
Streamline inventory tasks
Realistic Applications for Drones in Supply Chain
Skyward
Skyward is involved in developing the digital airspace infrastructure around industrial drones. In addition, the company is working on designing software for drones that will assist in the supply chain industries.
“I can tell you this from an engineering background that it is now possible to deliver goods using drones under five pounds, which is 86 percent of Amazon’s inventory, within a 30-minute of radius,”
- Jonathan Evans, the CEO of Skyward
Drones in the supply chain in demand due to its capabilities. Skyward determines the practical application of this technology and develops it for future purposes.
Amazon
Amazon’s Prime Air is a new drone technology-driven pilot program. Amazon is currently focusing on smaller packages under the 5lb range under its supply chain process. Amazon drone delivery is one of the most innovative services, and other companies are getting inspired to develop their drone-enabled supply chain program.
Walmart
Walmart is also taking the approach and reaping the advantages of drones. However, it is going miles apart in terms of using the technology for its supply chain process. Walmart has partnered with some prominent drone companies like Flytrex and Zipline. Flytrex and Zipline are currently doing pilot programs for supply chains and deliveries.
The Obstacles
As drone technology has already taken to the skies and is already operational, it is yet to be seen how quickly regulatory agencies allow the technology to operate without legal restrictions. More than one million drones are ready to take to the skies by 2022. But hurdles like safety risks, privacy issues, and security interference cannot be ignored. In addition, the military and commercial aircraft industry is posing valid concerns about sharing airspace and air interference. There are challenges like the susceptibility to hacking or theft, collision, and high insurance costs that have become a hurdle regarding drones in the supply chain process.
Further, the technology has many limitations that need to be highlighted. Limitations like limited battery life might restrict the operational duration. In addition, weather conditions also need to be taken into consideration. Whether drones can operate during high winds or rains. All these factors might impact supply chain management and may restrict the use of drones further.
However, the role of drones by supply chain companies is only going to ascend in the future. R&D companies are working hard to overcome significant challenges. They are working to provide more and more opportunities above all obstacles to optimize supply chain operations efficiently.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can drones be used efficiently in the supply chain?
Drones in the supply chain can be used efficiently to deliver at a low rate to rural areas. Also, it can eliminate the need for road transportation to save time, be more secure and faster.
How will drones impact the supply chain?
Drones in the supply chain will have a massive impact. Drones will improve service scenarios in industries and reduce costs, workforce, and capital. It can be helpful to manage and monitor inventory set up for products.
What kinds of jobs can drones replace?
Drones can replace five kinds of jobs. They are:
Capturing difficult footage
Enabling detailed monitoring
Spotting errors and implementing an error-free workflow
Assimilating huge data records
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Air Transport
Article | July 6, 2022
The airline industry has been an extremely tough marketplace. It takes a lot of effort to stand out from the competitors and to run business amidst everyday challenges to become top airlines in the country or worldwide. Yet, out of all this, the airline industry has maintained its dignity and has been successfully driven through market challenges.
Aside from the unique dynamics of the current COVID-19 crisis, marketers before used aviation marketing tactics in a standard way. But, the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic made aviation marketing exceptionally challenging for airlines worldwide to forecast demand and kickstart airline businesses in the future.
But, as of now (after a year and half months from the pandemic outbreak), there is a lot of excitement about airline branding, airline marketing strategies, airline advertisements, and more. As a result, businesses are becoming confident that revitalizing their strategies would now take off effortlessly. Yet some challenges and many other uncertainties need to be addressed regarding the fast-changing business models, travel demand, revenue generation, sales, stability, and a lot more in the restart period.
Let’s put some light on those uncertainties in the airline industry.
The Uncertainties
As per IATA (2020), the change in the airline business model creates additional uncertainty. It has been observed that the present state of the economy is the ultimate game of risk to airline revenue management and planning. This includes airline marketing strategies, airline advertising campaigns, and prospects of branding as well.
The recent shift in business patterns have been caused and triggered by various events such as:
A sharp decline in demand stimulation techniques applied by airlines
Signs of disruption entering the market in the wake of the COVID-19 situation prevailing in countries
Disruption of profitable plans for future
Changing consumer behavior
Missing data connections and collection
As a result, these uncertain events demand a call for action across the entire airline sector value chain. The call must be initiated based on creative marketing strategy, prioritizing personalization, sustainability, and profitability.
Now, the question ascends, why does your marketing team need to think out-of-the-box altogether to re-create airline marketing strategies.
Read about it next!
Why Airline Marketing Strategies Need to be Out-of-the-Box
With the changes occurring in airline market dynamics, airline businesses have to reshuffle their marketing strategies. They have to be quick as novel opportunities are continuously pouring in. Despite the current situation that has put the airline market under stress, it has provided the foundations for a range of new blue ocean opportunities. This is where you can hop on those opportunities to re-scale your business.
Therefore, the internal and external variables have to be considered in any forecasting activities of airlines, including revenue management, pricing, network, and marketing planning. In other words, game-changing strategies are born of thinking out-of-the-box—a leap into the unexpected.
Here, creating effective aviation marketing strategies will fulfill the need to pursue a new product differentiation and revenue management angle. Doing so will also instill confidence back into the base of your airline business, including stakeholders. This is how your business can become successful again.
By now, you must have understood that this is where the power of marketing in aviation can play a vital role in diminishing all the challenges. But before your marketing head towards creating robust aviation marketing strategies, you should first know about the approach of 3 Cs to make a successful marketing venture.
3 Cs to Consider While Marketing Your Aviation Business
Marketing, as per the current scenario, will require rock-hard strategic preparation. Similarly, in aviation marketing also, your team needs to ensure consistent preparation. This continuous process will help the business build progressively in a constantly changing aviation business environment and fluctuating demands.
Following this approach will help better in building innovative strategies and simultaneously exploring a wide range of possibilities.
Contrast
Before your marketing team heads to the stage of the plan, consider the assumptions bracing up in the current airline industry’s status. Then, your strategists should get hands-on to identify the possibilities to come ahead along with its results.
Constrain
Keep a look at the limitations stirring in the current airline market scenario. Then consider how the prevailing weaknesses can be converted into strengths to become successful among your competitors.
Context
To create out-of-the-box airline marketing strategies, which include airline advertisements, airline advertising campaigns, and more, you should plan to have a different context to stand out terrifically among other airline companies. In addition, marketing this way will give you surprising insights and help you emerge afterward through challenges that occurred due to the pandemic.
Now that you are aware of the critical things to consider in creating airline marketing strategies. It is time to go ahead with creating strategically planned strategies.
Here are some effective strategies discussed that would help to revitalize your airline business.
6 Airline Marketing Strategies
Introduce Loyalty Programs
The airline business is known for its range of offers of loyalty programs according to the target audience. Nearly all airline businesses create their ways to cater programs to a particular audience group or in general. However, loyalty programs work the same at the core, but to encourage audiences in the current time, you can offer different perks to them. So, be creative in creating campaigns, and you will find that your loyalty programs are capitalizing on your revenue and benefiting customers together.
Distinguish your Brand and Position Yourself
Branding and positioning have become essential for businesses operating in this pandemic time, where the market is now hugely competitive. So you have got to be quick to get your company identified by your customer base as well as the target ones.
While proceeding in this manner, your best strength will distinguish you from your competitors serving in the same area. To make your brand image outstanding, you need to study customer demographics related to airline services.
On the other hand, depending on the brand image you want to cultivate, you may need to create airline advertisements accordingly. It is because your brand will communicate a message to the worldwide population. And it’s important to consider how you want your target audience to think of you before you brand and position yourself through advertisements, social media platforms, and more. This is how you will be able to position yourself in every day changing aviation market dynamics.
Be Creative with an Airline Advertising Strategy
Out-of-the-box airline advertising strategies can help your business outshine amidst insane competition arising. It is because now you have to adjust according to the modern world scenario. Here, creative content plays an important role. Moreover, as you must be working remotely, the idea of using content marketing will massively support your advertising strategy. It would engage and inspire customers to leverage your services, and, ultimately, your revenue will take off once again.
Introduce Paid Ads
Now that you have a planned airline advertising strategy, you can also consider introducing paid ads in it. Yes! With the help of paid ads, you can target a location-wise audience more precisely.
Paid ads also help in revenue generation and collaborations. These aspects are directly proportional to the profit earned out of implementing strategies. For example, paid ads may involve videos creation on YouTube to create brand awareness on your website, landing pages, or content (articles, blogs, etc.) page. By doing this, your brand value is going to skyrocket than what was it before.
Set a Strategic Social Media Campaign
Social media campaigns are the best ways to reach your customers and target audiences under airline marketing strategies. Spreading your brand voice through different social media platforms will help you humanize your brand and deepen relationships with a larger population. In addition, other airlines use social media to reward customer loyalty, so you can also indulge in activities for the same.
For this, your marketing team should study which platforms your customer base visit frequently. Then, based on your research, you can do promotions, provide updates, make announcements, expand services or give some behind-the-scenes look of your company to customers as well as targeted audiences. It is because they appreciate participating in such events and get satisfied by relying on your company.
During an interview with Media 7, Didi Horn, Chief Executive Officer at SkyX, made a statement. He told,
“We have found that Linkedin has contributed the most to brand awareness over the years. In our business, there’s a very specific and niche target customer that we want to reach, so we don’t hesitate to invest in doing what it takes to build strong, lasting relationships.”
Marketing leaders like Didi Horn and more are becoming successful with their marketing activities on LinkedIn. Similarly, you also use LinkedIn—as one of the most influential social media platforms to spread the word about your business activities and reach out target audience easily.
Practice Influencer Marketing
Yes, you heard it right! Influencer marketing is booming in the current pandemic scenario. This is the best way of earning better ROI. Implementing influencer airline marketing strategies would help realize your business goals.
So, what goes under this marketing strategy?
The formula of storytelling through content is considered beneficial to increase airline business. Adding transparency in the strategies can also be one formula while practicing influencer marketing. Implementing this strategy will attract more audiences because they get influenced by interesting content, storytelling, company behind the scenes. This humanizes the brand altogether, giving audiences a factor of trust and loyalty.
As you have entered a completely different business scenario in the airline industry, your company needs robust marketing strategies.
It’s important to understand that change may be predictable, but growth isn’t. Business growth highly depends on all the little things you do consistently to make it happen. Since you’re competing with many other airline companies, developing a strategic aviation marketing plan can boost sustainable business growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an airline marketing strategy?
An airline marketing strategy is a well-planned method in action that businesses create to fulfill goals such as boost revenue, surge engagement with customers, create brand visibility, positioning, target potential audience, and a lot more. Companies invest time and money to create a robust plan so that businesses can run effortlessly.
Why is airline marketing strategy important?
Airline marketing strategies are important for airlines to stand out firmly among the competitors, position their brand, create awareness among the existing customer base and attract more and more potential audiences through various online platforms.
What are the top 3 marketing strategies for the airline?
Although the marketing strategies involved in a business are critical, the top ones can be the following.
Email marketing
Social media
Paid media advertising
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Business Aviation
Article | December 16, 2021
While countries continue to implement new Omicron-related restrictions in response to the rising number of cases globally, a majority of these are in the form of enhanced COVID testing requirements – not travel bans. As a result, travel demand for popular peak-season destinations has remained strong, and over the past few days we’ve seen a BIG INFLUX in bookings as news trickles out that Omicron may be a less severe variant.
If this continues, we expect to see another prolonged booking surge, so plan accordingly and get your requests in ASAP for best options – especially parking and hotels. While the new U.S. 24-hr testing requirement for return travel is tight, it’s not a big deal if you are prepared with an approved at-home testing kit (like Abbott BinaxNow, Qured, Ellume, etc.). Alternatively, our Trip Support Teams can help you identify testing providers abroad.
Looking ahead to your missions in 2022, you may want to consider On-Aircraft COVID Testing for your N-registered aircraft. It’ll make international COVID testing MUCH easier on you and your passengers when at-home testing kits aren’t an option.
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