In 2019, air travel was marked by the " shame of flying ", a movement that called for a boycott of air travel. A lot of questions were raised about the environmental impact of air travel and how to reduce it. More generally, airlines have tried to reinvent themselves, some by ordering new planes and improving the passenger experience.
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| Thomas Cook aircraft grounded after the company’s bankruptcy. |
10) Demonstrations at Hong Kong Airport
Several hundred flights had to be cancelled due to large demonstrations at the airport during the summer. This airport hub is vital for Hong Kong and the region as it is a hub from which more than 1000 flights a day depart. The economic consequences for airlines such as Cathay Pacific have been felt.
9) Air France orders A350s and A220s
The tricolour airline took delivery of its first A350-900. The Tricolor airline ordered 38 A350-900s and configured it to accommodate a total of 324 passengers. The long-haul aircraft will replace the 777-200 and A380.
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| First A350 for Air France |
In addition, Air France has ordered Airbus A220s (formerly Cseries) for the renewal of its medium-haul fleet.
8) Zipair Tokyo, future low-cost airline
In Japan, Japan Airlines is about to launch Zipair Tokyo, a long-haul low-cost airline. The first Boeing 787-8s in the company's colors should take off in 2020.
Recruitment will take place from April 2019. The long-haul low-cost airline will initially operate 2 Boeing 787- 8s from the parent company Japan Airlines. These will be configured in high density. Two additional aircraft will be added each year to Zipair Tokyo until it has a fleet of ten aircraft.
7) The SU1492 crash
On 5 May 2019, an SSJ100 Sukhoi crashed and caught fire during an emergency landing at Moscow Sheremetyevo airport. The lightning reportedly caused instrument failure and a hard landing carried out by the pilots. In all, 41 people died in the accident.
Warning: This article is not an official report of the SU1492 crash. At the time of writing, the investigation conducted by the Interstate Aviation Committee in Russia is ongoing and will provide the causes of the accident. This article must therefore be seen as an inventory of the various avenues of research and reflection of the investigation.
6) The Sunrise Project
Qantas, the Australian airline, has launched Project Sunrise, with a view to launching direct long-haul flights between Australia and London and New York. Trials with teams of passenger underwent health checks to find out the effect on the body of flying for more than 18 hours. Equipped Airbus A350-1000 aircraft will be operated on these routes.
5) A mega airport opens in Istanbul
The world's largest airport was opened on April 6, replacing the former Atatürk Airport. It is expected to handle more than 200 million passengers a year within ten years and become a global hub.
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| The brand new Istanbul airport located in Turkey (credits:thepointsguy) |
4) The first A350 for Japan Airlines
Japan Airlines (JAL) took delivery of its first A350 XWB at Airbus headquarters in Toulouse. The A350-900 is the first aircraft produced by Airbus for JAL.
JAL has ordered a total of 31 A350 XWBs, including 18 A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s. The airline will initially deploy the A350-900 on its busy domestic routes, while the larger A350-1000 will serve the operator's long-haul international network. The first aircraft has been in service on the airline's Haneda-Fukuoka route since early September.
The Japanese airline ordered 31 A350 XWBs, including 18 A350-900s and 13 A350-1000s in 2013. This was a historic order for Japan Airlines, which was buying Airbus for the first time. Japan Airlines' first A350 should soon be delivered, and will be followed by 3 others this year.
3) Concorde's anniversary
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary, a portal specially dedicated to the supersonic Concorde was launched. The plane took off on March 2, 1969.
2) Flygskam or the shame of flying
A widespread protest movement took place in mid-2019, in particular with Greta Thunberg's refusal to fly. A lot of misinformation, far from reality, circulated at the time: the most polluting transport plane in the world, a sector that makes no effort, over-subsidised,... In reality, in 2019, the aviation industry has committed itself to continue its efforts to reduce pollution and its carbon footprint.
1) Bankruptcy of Thomas Cook
Wow Air, Thomas Cook, Jet Airways, Aigle Azur... major airlines went bankrupt in 2019. Considering only these 3 airlines, the number of passengers carried in 2018 was 3.5 million for the first one, 8 million and 1 million for the 2 others.
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| During the bankruptcy |
High debt is often the cause of these bankruptcies, in a sector as competitive as air transport. The main victims are small companies, which do not benefit from economies of scale, and low-cost companies, which charge fares that erode their margins.
For Thomas Cook, the financing that would have prevented the bankruptcy was over £200 million or €234 million.
Wow air's debts Wow Air was looking for investors. She naturally approached her compatriot Icelandair. As negotiations progressed, the two airlines finally announced that the takeover would not take place. "The Icelandair Group has decided that its possible participation in WOW Air's operations, announced on 20 March 2019, will not take place.
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