Skies of Japan: Aviation News from Japan

Today as you can see from the cover image  I have a slightly different post than usual.
After considering putting more effort (or maybe I should say at least some effort into my YouTube channel for quite a while now, I finally decided to do so starting with a monthly show titled Skies of Japan.In Skies of Japan, I will be bringing you the latest news from the Japanese aviation market every month. Topics covered will include news about Japanese airlines, airports and other commercial aviation-related organizations, as well as updates about foreign airlines operations in Japan.

Spotlight

Perth Airport

As the gateway to Western Australia, Perth Airport is Australia’s fourth largest airport in terms of passenger traffic and plays a vital role in the economic and social development of the state.

OTHER ARTICLES
Design and Engineering

How are Private Aviation Firms Rebounding with Innovative Ideas?

Article | January 7, 2022

The pandemic has fueled the private aviation segment boom. It has raised many new aviation business bodies. While the private aviation segment was once reserved for millionaires and A-listers, it now has aircraft that look for more quick and secure gateways. “We’ve flown more for businesses now than ever, based private jet travel provider PrivateFly.This is the time to use capital to travel safely. We’re seeing sales year-to-date matching with 2020. The sales are outperforming in the private jet market. And since the pandemic hit, we have seen striking changes in clients’ profiles and buying habits." - Adam Twidell, CEO and founder of UK Despite the ongoing dimness of the growth of the aviation industry, there has been a fresh influx of customers for private jets. The pandemic empowered the private aviation companies. As a result, the private jet market has noticed a higher demand of 72% healthy since 2019. About this, Adam Twidell mentions that private aviation is cautiously hopeful about the future for private jet travel.So, how is the private aviation market growing? How is private jet travel becoming popular? Let’s understand it. Why are Private Jet Companies Taking Off? Today, many business travelers are seeking a safer way to fly due to the ongoing effect of the pandemic. As a result, the term ‘safer’ fly has turned to private jet travel. Its appeal in the present time has been evident. But some reasons that support the answer behind arethe taking off of private aviation companies are as follows: The Uncertainty of Commercial Aviation A drop in airline operations throughout the pandemic is one of the reasons. On the other hand, the pandemic facilitated an increase in the number of new business travelers in private aviation. A Shift in Consumer Behavior The surging number of first-time flyers have learned to invest in safety. Consumers are beginning to understand that investing in safety is essential today. Consequently, private aviation is not considered a luxury but a common choice as a reliable travel solution. Control & Flexibility The evolving new technologies in aviation have now created controllable operations. Such advancement has enabled aviation businesses to recover rapidly. Similarly, the private aviation sector is passing the power to customers to choose scheduled flights. The flexibility of the travel segment has added a value in terms of safety for business travelers. “For companies looking to fly more frequently, they may get a jet card membership award. It will be a one-off charter and the commitment of jet ownership. You get a consistency of aircraft services like fixed prices and flexible terms." -Twidell More Options for Domestic The domestic aviation sector is recovering compared to the international sector, which is still down by 20% as compared to 2019 as per IATA. All of this is due to the innovation by private aviation companies. What do these key reasons show us? First, private aviation has constantly been reaching extraordinary heights and serving outstandingly in the new normal. In this case, some prominent private aviation companies are doing wonders in the aviation industry. They are bringing innovative ideas and reshaping global businesses effectively. So, who are they? What are those private aviation companies doing? Let’s know further. The Best of 4 Private Aviation Firms Reshaping Aviation Business aviation is expected to reach a valuation of more than 2 billion in 2022. This would be more than twice the valuation recorded in 2019, as per the Global Insights Market research study. So, let’s study some of the most sorted-out private aviation firms. And how they are making innovatory inclusions in the aviation industry. XOJET Xojet is known as “Uber for the airways,” being the third-largest North American private aviation company. Xojet partnered with JetSmarter – the world’s largest mobile marketplace for private jets. They aim to bring novel opportunities, ways, and ideas to reshape the industry once again. Xojet took advantage of digitalization and made the idea of “Uber for the airways” on-demand and straightforward. JetSmarter now serves as the exclusive digital distributor for XOJET’s aircraft, which has provided access to a new technology player—an unparalleled supply of premium jets. “This shared venture is all about efficiency, which makes us more successful in assisting our clients.” And we will be able to accelerate the process of providing a digital solution for them.” -Brad Steward, CEO of Xojet The real opportunity is to put the 11,000 private jets in service in the US. And most of them would fly at an average of 200 hours annually at 30% capacity. As a result, XOJET generated more than $300 million worth of revenue in the second quarter of 2020. So, it is undoubtedly the digitization of private aviation that is concreting the pathway of growth of the industry for the future. NetJets NetJets has been serving as one of the oldest and largest private aviation companies. It accumulated a fleet of around 700 jets globally. NetJets’ plans for the first supersonic business jet with its sizeable fresh capital front. It plans to build a supersonic aircraft and is working with innovative and creative partners and private jet manufacturers. Additionally, NetJets has received a delivery of 25 new private jets so far in 2021. It expects to spend around $2.5 billion to add another hundred jets by the end of 2022. VeriJet VeriJet started offering aircraft engines based on cruise missiles and carbon-fiber fuselages. With the help of low emission techniques, the engines are more durable and promote efficient flying. In addition, it has involved artificial intelligence assistance with one pilot. AI helps the jet with landing and other flight operations. Richard Kane, VeriJet’s chairman, and CEO is counting on “carbon shaming” and promotes go-green emission and fly efficiently. Clay Lacy Aviation Clay Lacy Aviation has earned a reputation among other prominent private aviation users for its Waterbury-Oxford (KOXC) operations and maintenance facility. It has actively provided jet charter and looks after maintenance, aircraft management, repair, and renovation capabilities. “We have offered solutions for clients by providing the first charter to professional aircraft management. From heavy maintenance inspections and cabin upgrades. We offer all at the best value.” -Clay Lacy Aviation With this, Clay Lacy experienced an 80% growth over the first 18 months. The growth was recorded by word of mouth spread rapidly across the region based on the East Coast at airports from New Hampshire to Florida. Apart from this, a data-driven approach to private jet manufacturers and management constantly compares clients’ operating parameters. The process thus ensures that the asset is well-maintained and operates efficiently. The Demand for Private Aviation is Still Rising Experts say that the private aviation sector saw an uptick in 2021. In addition, the private aircraft firms witnessed a gradual rise in business from August 2021. The aviation industry has been tested for a long time when it comes to adapting to diverse requirements. But, in the end, the industry has smartly evolved through challenges over technology and innovation. And the numbers should only proceed to grow now as global businesses recover their positions in late 2021. “While the business aviation industry continues to experience a thriving market, the longer-term picture will clear step-by-step. Well-known issues such as the pilot shortage, collapse in values of used jets, lack of OEM innovation, rising operational costs have been recognized well, and the industry will cope soon. As a result, the overall environment is prepared for bringing in innovation from every aspect.” -Peter Maestrales, CEO, Airstream Jets Frequently Asked Questions What is the valuation of the private aviation market? The private jet aircraft’s market size was $24.4 billion globally in 2019. But during the pandemic, the valuation diminished by $20.1 billion. According to recent calculations, for the first quarter of 2021, the private aviation sector grew to a share of $23.6 billion. What countries have the most private jet operations? The United States occupies first place in private jet operations. But then, Europe is counted for having a big part of private jet operations. Why is the private aviation sector becoming more popular? Private flying has gained popularity because it has fared better than commercial operators. In addition, it has offered convenience, safety, time-saving, flexibility, and costs.

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Business Aviation

A Carbon-Neutral Fuel for the Aviation Industry?

Article | December 28, 2021

A New System That Aims to Create Carbon-Neutral Aviation Scientists have achieved an amazing breakthrough in the development of carbon-neutral fuel for the aviation industry. An aviation fuel production system that uses water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide has been put into action. Its design was published on July 20th, 2022, in the journal Joule. The dream of achieving carbon-free aviation could become a reality with this development. “We are the first to demonstrate the entire thermochemical process chain from water and CO2 to kerosene in a fully-integrated solar tower system.” - Aldo Steinfeld, Professor, Study Corresponding Author, ETH Zurich The aviation industry accounts for approximately 5% of the global anthropogenic emissions that contribute to global climate change. The industry heavily relies on kerosene, commonly known as jet fuel, a liquid hydrocarbon fuel derived from crude oil. There are no clean options to power commercial flights on a global scale at the moment. Production of Synthetic Kerosene This breakthrough, with the help of solar energy, makes it possible to produce synthetic kerosene from water and carbon dioxide instead of crude oil. The amount of CO2 emitted during kerosene combustion in a jet engine equals what is consumed during its production in the solar plant. It is what makes the fuel carbon neutral, especially if the CO2 in the air is captured and directly used as an ingredient, which could be possible in the near future. As part of the European Union's SUN-to-LIQUID project, Steinfeld and his colleagues put forward a system that uses solar power to generate drop-in fuels—synthetic alternatives to fossil-derived fuels like kerosene and diesel. Solar-produced kerosene is consistent with the current aviation infrastructure for allocation, fuel storage, and use in jet engines. It can also combine with fossil-derived kerosene, according to Steinfeld. High Hopes for the Future Steinfeld and his team began scaling the construction of a solar fuel manufacturing plant at the IMDEA Energy Institute in Spain half a decade ago. The plant has 169 sun-tracking reflective panels that redirect and concentrate solar radiation into a tower-mounted solar reactor. This concentrated solar energy then powers redox reaction cycles in the reactor’s porous ceria structure, which is not absorbed but can be reused. It transforms the water and carbon dioxide into syngas, a customized mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This syngas is then injected into a gas-to-liquid converter and is finally converted into liquid hydrocarbon fuels such as kerosene and diesel. Steinfeld and his team are working on amping up the reactor’s efficiency from the current 4% to more than 15%.

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Business Aviation

New Podcast Explores GE Aviation Technologies for a Decarbonized Future of Flight

Article | January 28, 2022

This week, the GE Gas Power team launched season five of Cutting Carbon, their award-winning podcast that focuses on climate change, the basics of what decarbonization is and the technologies behind it. In season five, the team is focused on decarbonization closer to home and invited Arjan Hegeman, GE Aviation’s general manger for advanced technologies, to talk about the future of flight. Learn more about the role of GE Aviation’s technologies available today and in development for tomorrow to make aircraft engines more fuel efficient and reduce carbon emissions. Open fan, hybrid electric and hydrogen combustion are all discussed by Hegeman and the hosts. Over two episodes, Hegeman also explains the importance of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), along with the new engine technologies, to help the aviation industry reach its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Future of Flight is a two-part episode, and can be found as Episode 27 and Episode 28 under Cutting Carbon. You can listen to the podcast here or on your favorite streaming platform! The aviation industry is at an inflection point for new technology introduction and acceleration of technology development, Hegeman says. GE Aviation is currently developing its next-generation suite of engine technologies, including open fan engine architecture, hybrid-electric propulsion, and advanced thermal management concepts. GE Aviation is also supporting industry initiatives to approve and adopt 100% SAF and is partnering on a new flight demonstration program to test zero-carbon hydrogen fuel combustion. GE’s ambition is to be a net zero company by 2050, including the Scope 3 emissions from the use of sold products. GE is also committed to being carbon neutral by 2030 in its own facilities and operations, including Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.

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Commercial Aviation

8 Enlightening Tips to Make a Perfect Airline Marketing Plan

Article | October 19, 2021

What are the aviation marketing questions B2B audiences are asking in 2021? It is always beneficial to study the market scenario and your competitors when starting a new marketing plan. It provides you with a better vision and explores opportunities to become the best in the market and which marketing approach to take. Before you start planning your marketing in aviation, there are a few things you should sort out first. So, start your strategy by taking note of some important marketing questions! Important Questions to Create an Aviation Marketing Plan Are aviation businesses doing more or less marketing in 2022? What are the best-performing aviation marketing campaigns? What marketing strategies are unused in the aviation industry? What are the international aviation marketing trends? Which social media do aviation marketing professionals use for marketing? How do aviation professionals plan the finance for marketing? How do market leaders optimize their websites and build a brand image? Keeping these questions beside you, follow the tips to create a prolific aviation marketing plan. Tips at your Fingers Tip One: Things to do—Image Vs. Words Usage of images (visuals) has become influential to do marketing in aviation. While the industry has always focused on verbal content, both are equally important, but in different marketing ways. Let’s understand the following: SEO: Images can’t do well when doing optimization. But words are the main component in optimization in blogs, articles, whitepapers, webinars, and more. Social media: Images are becoming more perusable and are more understood by audiences. Whereas words are compelling to get more visitors to the website. Website content: In this, both usages of images and content are important to connect with the audience and market well. It’s crucial to watch the latest aviation industry trends to plan your marketing efforts. Referring to that, you can make the most of materials using images like: • Display & explain products • Create presentation showing numeric data • Create videos out of content • A sales presentation Remember, now prospects are emotionally persuaded to purchase products and services. This will lead you to grab more and better aviation business opportunities. You have to be quick and pick up to make the deal yours. Being interactive in your image creation is the better way to show your audience your ideology. Tip Two: Create One Idea at Once Any marketing plan should start from one idea at a time. To proceed with it, think and consider— “what is the one thing you want your audience, visitors, or potential targets to understand and get solutions for? It is necessary to analyze first because most marketing sales professionals remain muddled with the motive behind their marketing efforts. Therefore, it’s better to refrain from yourself and try to ideate one concept at a time. In other words, everything you create should support that ONE idea! Tip Three: Branding is key! Branding is visual. Visuals appeal to prospects in the aviation industry. Is your brand instantly recognizable to your prospects? If not, you need to pay more heed to it. Your brand is more than any other asset that communicates your story. A creative and reflective brand image is one of the impactful aviation industry trends most aviation professionals focus on. It’s vital because visuals have an appealing factor. In addition, the professionals in the aviation industry, engage and trust information displayed than told to them. So, create a visual brand image that tells a story. Another most important thing is to add testimonials to your brand. Yes! Video testimonials are much more potent because it comes from your prospects. Make a “wish list” of prospects you would like to get a testimonial from and add it to your website! Tip Four: Campaign it! With RIGHT message Before you head towards creating campaigns for marketing in aviation, remember that every campaign needs these three elements: • A great list • A great offer • And a great presentation If any of these elements lack the motive, you won’t be successful. An example of it is a general digital magazine advertisement. It has a numerous list of subscribers, beautiful design, conceptualization, but no specific offer or a call to action. The reader won’t take any interest in responding to that particular ad. Such campaigns face severe failure! But if your campaign has the base of these elements, you can expect a good ROI for your business. Tip Five: Social Media Secrets There is always some information hidden in the news or something that your community or industry talks about. So, it is good to keep a watch on such matters to generate good content. Social media is the most preferred platform to do such activities today. You probably don’t have time to get involved in every social media channel. So, it's better to involve in one channel than to be on multiple. So, watch the new, set up analytics for key topics important in the industry, and let inspiration spread in the form of information through your marketing materials like infographics, slides, images, and more. As Hootsuit studied on social media usage by marketing leaders, let’s have a quick look at which social media do aviation professionals use for marketing mostly. LinkedIn Rare: 0% Monthly: 31% Weekly: 25% Daily: 57% Facebook Monthly: 13% Weekly: 9% Daily: 20% Twitter Monthly: 17% Weekly: 14% Daily: 25% Instagram Monthly: 4% Weekly: 11% Daily: 3% YouTube Monthly: 21% Weekly: 14% Daily: 10% These indicate that your competitors mostly use LinkedIn and Facebook channels for marketing because aviation professionals are most likely to be using these channels frequently. If you produce interesting information, you can build a strong online audience. Tip Six: Bag the deal with 15 Second Sales Presentation Sales & sale—do it the right way! What do you say when a prospect asks you, “What do you do?” Here your 20-second sales presentation works in a roomful of sales-interested prospects! Sale is a process. If you have the proper steps to follow intelligently, you will have much better results. But remember, it should be contented and compelling to the right people, but non-pitchy. Follow these tips to deliver a fantastic presentation within seconds: • Reflect your USP (unique selling proposition) • Your company’s tagline • Keep it amazingly short • Avoid usage of over hyperbole— for example “We have most unbelievably wonderfully grand aviation products for you” • Be concise, professional, and elegant • Use non-technical language • Tell benefits than features • Use examples when necessary Deliver an approachable, responsive, and simple presentation that makes your prospect say, “Tell me more about that!” Apart from this, sales are also about passion. And if a prospect senses your passion for what you do, they become much comfortable with your offerings! So, do your homework. Prepare for it in advance. Know everything you can about the prospect; its company, services, mode of work, and more. Then have a faithful and specific objective in mind for each sales call. This will find your prospect’s best interest to discover more, take the conversation deeper, and thus, no one can stop you from getting the deal done. Tip Seven: Plan an Editorial Calendar An editorial calendar is crucial when it comes to marketing—branding, sales, and relationship building. Providing highly informational content to your prospects allows interacting. To simply put, your calendar is the best cover page. It will help to align the process of marketing items such as: • Planned campaigns • Webinars • Seasonal events • Launches • expenses Planned marketing will bring fascinating aviation business opportunities and will stimulate the aviation industry growth. Tip Eight: Be Financially Strong! This is a crucial part. Finance is what your top management wants to see. It is easy to come up with a huge, long, unproductive, and unrealistic marketing plan. However, planning a reasonable one that is capable of bringing success and probability together is truly an art. So, ensure to make an advanced one with a monthly income statement and include assumptions you make. Marketing in aviation is growing fast and is not expected to be sluggish anytime soon. With the rising aviation industry trends, it's easy to see opportunities beyond 2021. Therefore, all you need is an all-inclusive plan by following these tips. They will help you learn online aviation marketing solutions to increase traffic, ROI, brand image, and of course, raise conversation rates. After completing your marketing planning, read further to get familiar with using effective marketing strategies that will bring effective change to your business. Frequently Asked Questions What are some of the tips for creating an aviation marketing plan? Aviation marketing has nothing different from other marketing ways. It is just you need to pay attention to the range of audiences is in the aviation industry. However, here are some more tips: • Optimize your every content generation • Display your potential to the audience • Pay attention to ads • Leverage paid ads • Do email What is the importance of marketing in aviation? Aviation not only deals with passengers; it includes businesses to make money. For that, marketing plays a vital role in making people aware of product selling or providing services. It drives awareness of products, creates a brand image, builds trust among buyers, and provides valuable information to the audience in various forms using various channels. What is the difference between selling and marketing? Selling makes money directly from the prospects. While marketing is all about serving solutions and satisfying prospect needs. The method includes different stages—planning, analyzing, monitoring, execution, promotion, and distribution. { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What are some of the tips for creating an aviation marketing plan?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Aviation marketing has nothing different from other marketing ways. It is just you need to pay attention to the range of audiences is in the aviation industry. However, here are some more tips: Optimize your every content generation Display your potential to the audience Pay attention to ads Leverage paid ads Do email" } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the importance of marketing in aviation?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Aviation not only deals with passengers; it includes businesses to make money. For that, marketing plays a vital role in making people aware of product selling or providing services. It drives awareness of products, creates a brand image, builds trust among buyers, and provides valuable information to the audience in various forms using various channels." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What is the difference between selling and marketing?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Selling makes money directly from the prospects. While marketing is all about serving solutions and satisfying prospect needs. The method includes different stages—planning, analyzing, monitoring, execution, promotion, and distribution." } }] }

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Spotlight

Perth Airport

As the gateway to Western Australia, Perth Airport is Australia’s fourth largest airport in terms of passenger traffic and plays a vital role in the economic and social development of the state.

Related News

Defense and Space

FlyersRights.org Litigation Continues After Boeing Settles Civil Case With MAX Crash Victims

Boeing | February 14, 2022

Boeing has settled its civil cases with all but two of the families of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Boeing 737 MAX crash on March 10, 2019. The ET302 crash, along with the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, just over four months prior, claimed the lives of 357 people. FlyersRights.org, however, continues its litigation, supported by independent safety experts, to compel the FAA to release the MAX fix details and flight testing. The FAA, at Boeing's behest, has kept secret all data related to the MAX under a claim of trade secrets, notwithstanding Boeing's and the FAA's multiple promises of full transparency. Boeing has admitted liability for compensatory damages caused by the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, and the victims' families may pursue compensatory damages in Illinois. However, the agreement bars punitive damages, damages that would have punished Boeing for egregious conduct and would deter Boeing and others from such behavior in the future. "This settlement means that the FlyersRights.org litigation against Boeing will be one of the few ways to achieve truth and accountability for the 737 MAX crashes, By avoiding discovery and depositions in these civil cases in addition to having avoided criminal trials and significant fines in its agreements with the federal government, Boeing so far has escaped with merely a slap on the wrist relative to the size of the company and the magnitude of its wrongdoing." -Paul Hudson, President of FlyersRights.org. Notably, Boeing hopes to be able to avoid depositions of CEO David Calhoun, former CEO Dennis Muilenburg, and other employees. Boeing agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice in January 2021, paying $244 million in fines but admitting no guilt.

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Boeing Receives Two Major Missile Contracts Worth $3.1 Billion

Boeing | May 19, 2020

Boeing received two contracts on May 13 covering two variants from the AGM-84 missile family. The larger of the two contracts covers the supply of 650 AGM-84K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM ER) for the Royal Saudi Air Force, to equip its F-15SA Eagle aircraft. Boeing further developed the AGM-84E SLAM weapon for attacking land targets. Boeing received two contracts on May 13 covering two variants from the AGM-84 missile family. Combined with a related, previously announced order, the contracts have a combined value of $3.1 billion. Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity for the orders, which answer the requirements of a number of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. The larger of the two contracts covers the supply of 650 AGM-84K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM ER) for the Royal Saudi Air Force, to equip its F-15SA Eagle aircraft. It is the first export order for this variant for some time, the weapons first being supplied to South Korea for carriage by the air force’s F-15K “Slam Eagles”. The $1.97 billion contract also includes funding for non-recurring engineering associated with the SLAM ER. This work is due for completion by the end of 2028. The second contract, valued at $657 million, calls for the delivery of 467 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II Lot 91 anti-ship missiles to a range of FMS customers by the end of 2026. Saudi Arabia is the biggest recipient, slated to receive 402, while Qatar is to get 53, Thailand eight, and Brazil four. The contract also includes support equipment for India, Japan, the Netherlands, and South Korea. What was then McDonnell Douglas delivered the first Harpoon anti-ship missile in 1977, and has delivered more than 7,500 since then to the U.S. and a large number of allies. As well as the AGM-84 air-launched version, the sea-skimming missile comes in RGM-84 ship-launched and UGM-84 submarine-launched forms. Pre-revolutionary Iran was one of the early recipients, and in 1980 it achieved the first combat success of the weapon when RGM-84s sank two Iraqi patrol vessels. The Harpoon has been successively updated and remains the primary anti-ship missile in the West. Boeing further developed the AGM-84E SLAM weapon for attacking land targets, replacing the Harpoon’s active radar seeker with an imaging infrared seeker that transmitted imagery back to an AWW-13 two-way datalink pod on the launch aircraft. A few were fired during the 1991 Gulf War, and it was also used during the Balkans campaign A further adaptation resulted in the AGM-84H SLAM ER, with pop-out wings that extended the range to around 150 miles. It also featured more advanced guidance options, including “man-in-the-loop” direct flying, and automatic target acquisition. It was the world’s first weapon to have this latter function. Further development led to the current AGM-84K version. As well as the procurement of new-build weapons, most of the U.S. Navy's AGM-84E SLAMs were upgraded to SLAM-ER configuration Since 2019 Boeing has been building a new 35,000-square foot manufacturing facility at its St. Charles site in Missouri to cater to increased production rates of AGM-84 versions. The new factory is expected to be ready next year. Learn More: THE BOEING 797 – HERE ARE THE CLUES WE HAVE SO FAR

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Aerospace Industry CTOs Cooperate to Drive the Sustainability of Aviation

Boeing | June 18, 2019

Aviation connects our world by efficiently and rapidly moving people, opening new economic opportunities and transporting food and goods all over our planet. Aviation promotes global understanding, generating rich cultural exchanges and thereby contributing to peaceful co-existence. At the same time, climate change has become a clear concern for our society. Humanity’s impact on the climate requires action on many fronts. The aviation industry is already taking significant action to protect the planet and will continue to do so. Aviation contributes to two percent of human-made carbon dioxide emissions. The industry has challenged itself to reduce net CO2 emissions even while demand for air travel and transport grows significantly.

Read More

Defense and Space

FlyersRights.org Litigation Continues After Boeing Settles Civil Case With MAX Crash Victims

Boeing | February 14, 2022

Boeing has settled its civil cases with all but two of the families of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Boeing 737 MAX crash on March 10, 2019. The ET302 crash, along with the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, just over four months prior, claimed the lives of 357 people. FlyersRights.org, however, continues its litigation, supported by independent safety experts, to compel the FAA to release the MAX fix details and flight testing. The FAA, at Boeing's behest, has kept secret all data related to the MAX under a claim of trade secrets, notwithstanding Boeing's and the FAA's multiple promises of full transparency. Boeing has admitted liability for compensatory damages caused by the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, and the victims' families may pursue compensatory damages in Illinois. However, the agreement bars punitive damages, damages that would have punished Boeing for egregious conduct and would deter Boeing and others from such behavior in the future. "This settlement means that the FlyersRights.org litigation against Boeing will be one of the few ways to achieve truth and accountability for the 737 MAX crashes, By avoiding discovery and depositions in these civil cases in addition to having avoided criminal trials and significant fines in its agreements with the federal government, Boeing so far has escaped with merely a slap on the wrist relative to the size of the company and the magnitude of its wrongdoing." -Paul Hudson, President of FlyersRights.org. Notably, Boeing hopes to be able to avoid depositions of CEO David Calhoun, former CEO Dennis Muilenburg, and other employees. Boeing agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice in January 2021, paying $244 million in fines but admitting no guilt.

Read More

Boeing Receives Two Major Missile Contracts Worth $3.1 Billion

Boeing | May 19, 2020

Boeing received two contracts on May 13 covering two variants from the AGM-84 missile family. The larger of the two contracts covers the supply of 650 AGM-84K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM ER) for the Royal Saudi Air Force, to equip its F-15SA Eagle aircraft. Boeing further developed the AGM-84E SLAM weapon for attacking land targets. Boeing received two contracts on May 13 covering two variants from the AGM-84 missile family. Combined with a related, previously announced order, the contracts have a combined value of $3.1 billion. Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity for the orders, which answer the requirements of a number of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. The larger of the two contracts covers the supply of 650 AGM-84K Standoff Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM ER) for the Royal Saudi Air Force, to equip its F-15SA Eagle aircraft. It is the first export order for this variant for some time, the weapons first being supplied to South Korea for carriage by the air force’s F-15K “Slam Eagles”. The $1.97 billion contract also includes funding for non-recurring engineering associated with the SLAM ER. This work is due for completion by the end of 2028. The second contract, valued at $657 million, calls for the delivery of 467 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II Lot 91 anti-ship missiles to a range of FMS customers by the end of 2026. Saudi Arabia is the biggest recipient, slated to receive 402, while Qatar is to get 53, Thailand eight, and Brazil four. The contract also includes support equipment for India, Japan, the Netherlands, and South Korea. What was then McDonnell Douglas delivered the first Harpoon anti-ship missile in 1977, and has delivered more than 7,500 since then to the U.S. and a large number of allies. As well as the AGM-84 air-launched version, the sea-skimming missile comes in RGM-84 ship-launched and UGM-84 submarine-launched forms. Pre-revolutionary Iran was one of the early recipients, and in 1980 it achieved the first combat success of the weapon when RGM-84s sank two Iraqi patrol vessels. The Harpoon has been successively updated and remains the primary anti-ship missile in the West. Boeing further developed the AGM-84E SLAM weapon for attacking land targets, replacing the Harpoon’s active radar seeker with an imaging infrared seeker that transmitted imagery back to an AWW-13 two-way datalink pod on the launch aircraft. A few were fired during the 1991 Gulf War, and it was also used during the Balkans campaign A further adaptation resulted in the AGM-84H SLAM ER, with pop-out wings that extended the range to around 150 miles. It also featured more advanced guidance options, including “man-in-the-loop” direct flying, and automatic target acquisition. It was the world’s first weapon to have this latter function. Further development led to the current AGM-84K version. As well as the procurement of new-build weapons, most of the U.S. Navy's AGM-84E SLAMs were upgraded to SLAM-ER configuration Since 2019 Boeing has been building a new 35,000-square foot manufacturing facility at its St. Charles site in Missouri to cater to increased production rates of AGM-84 versions. The new factory is expected to be ready next year. Learn More: THE BOEING 797 – HERE ARE THE CLUES WE HAVE SO FAR

Read More

Aerospace Industry CTOs Cooperate to Drive the Sustainability of Aviation

Boeing | June 18, 2019

Aviation connects our world by efficiently and rapidly moving people, opening new economic opportunities and transporting food and goods all over our planet. Aviation promotes global understanding, generating rich cultural exchanges and thereby contributing to peaceful co-existence. At the same time, climate change has become a clear concern for our society. Humanity’s impact on the climate requires action on many fronts. The aviation industry is already taking significant action to protect the planet and will continue to do so. Aviation contributes to two percent of human-made carbon dioxide emissions. The industry has challenged itself to reduce net CO2 emissions even while demand for air travel and transport grows significantly.

Read More

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