-
SriLankan Airlines in the context of the country’s financial meltdown
by
Whither the national airline? With the country embroiled in a financial meltdown of unprecedented proportions, on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, Parliament confirmed Ranil Wickremesinghe as the nation’s eighth Executive President by a clear margin. One of the many challenges facing the new President is the future of the state-owned national carrier, SriLankan Airlines. A perennially…
-
Will Jabs be the key?
by
A tale of two states Over six months ago, as the COVID-19 pandemic’s first year drew to a close, this column foresaw a ‘two speed’ recovery of domestic and international air travel (see December 15, 2020 column here). Back in December 2020, with vaccines due to arrive in a few months there was a good…
-
Boom or Bust?
by
Boom or Bust? The airline industry as we know it today began with a piece of legislation known as the Air Mail Act of 1925, which was approved by the United States Congress to allow private contractors to carry airmail. The primitive, frail aircraft of the time could barely transport a handful of passengers, but…
-
Displaced Optimism
by
Displaced Optimism The first of these columns to report on COVID-19 was published in February 2020. Sixteen months later the nightmare isn’t showing any signs of ending soon. In February of last year China was a country in a harsh lockdown, one that most of the world were quick to criticize as too extreme. Today,…
-
Closed Borders and Lucky Generals
by
The ‘Lucky Country’ and its General Scott Morrison, Australia’s Prime Minister since 2018 is a devout Christian. He certainly seems to have the heavens on his side. Backroom manoeuvres saw him rise to the leadership of the Australian Liberal Party (which is actually quite right-wing) and inherit the federal Premiership. He won a general election…
-
The dreaded ‘second wave’ hits India
by
The iniquities of vaccination and the impact on air travel India is ablaze. Not with forest fires, but funeral pyres as the COVID-19 pandemic is undergoing a vicious second-wave in the region. With over 1.8 million confirmed cases and more than 200,000 deaths India is now surging towards breaking all records in this pandemic.…
-
Crisis or Opportunity?
by
Is this a good time to start a new airline? There is a common misconception that the Chinese character for ‘crisis’ is a combination of ‘danger’ and ‘opportunity’. While this is not strictly true, the concept is valid. COVID-19 has decimated the airline industry. Only the largess of governments worldwide has kept airlines alive. Now,…
