Seventeen years – that is how long commercial aviation has been stuck in the subsonic flight regime after British Airways ended Concorde flights in October 2003. In a world obsessed with speed and timesaving, that is remarkable. After all, the prospect of flying from London to New York in three and a quarter hours instead of the current seven hours or from San Francisco to Tokyo in five and a half hours instead of 11, would strongly appeal to most travellers.
That is why several companies are racing to get their supersonic jets to the market. These include Boom Supersonic’s Overture Mach 2.2 airliner, Aerion Supersonic’s AS2 Mach 1.4 Business Jet and Spike Aerospace whose S-512 Mach 1.6 aircraft has both Business Jet and commercial possibilities. And in August 2020, Virgin Galactic announced plans to collaborate with Rolls-Royce to build a Mach 3 airliner. In fact, although the aviation industry has been severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the nascent field of high-speed civil aviation is one area that is recording noteworthy progress. But can the supersonic hopefuls overcome the stiff challenges they face?
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TATA GROUP RIDING THE AMBITIOUS AVIATION ARC
Having raised its stake in AirAsia India, alongside operating Vistara, Tata Group is a strong bidder for Air India too
PRATT & WHITNEY PUREPOWER ENGINES
The Pratt & Whitney PurePower Geared Turbofan engine introduced dramatic improvements in propulsive efficiency and noise reduction
SIX BOEING 777 FREIGHTERS FOR CHINA AIRLINES
China Airlines has becomes the 20th operator of the twin-aisle freighter. The company’s Chairman Hsieh Su-Chien stated:
TATA'S STAKE CLIMB UP THE LADDER IN INDIAN AVIATION INDUSTRY
Tata group increased its holdings in AirAsia India to 84 per cent
INDIAN AIRLINE INDUSTRY ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY
Around two months after the imposition of total lockdown for three weeks commencing March 23, 2020, domestic flights albeit with much reduced frequency, were permitted to operate
EMBRAER E190 OPERATING WITH MYANMAR AIRWAYS
On December 21 last year, Myanmar Airways International’s (MAI) first Embraer E190 commenced operations from Yangon.
EMERGING CONFIGURATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION
Aviation contributes two per cent of humanmade Co 2 emissions and has challenged itself to reduce net emissions even while demand for air travel and transport has grown significantly
BLURRING DISTINCTION BETWEEN NARROW-BODY AND WIDE-BODY AIRLINERS
The major benefit which will emerge is that terribly busy hubs will de-congest with the number of transiting passengers reducing drastically as the layovers at the hubs will be done away with
Supersonic Airliners On The Horizon
Although the aviation industry has been severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the nascent field of high-speed civil aviation is one area that is recording noteworthy progress
Travel Transitions In 2021
From contactless checkin to biometric gateways, cabin cleaning, increased collaboration, domestic travel, common travel digital passport, travelling in 2021 and beyond comes decked up with innovations
Back to the Skies
United Airlines leads the way to the safe rebound of air travel.
Impossible barriers are made to be broken
Few technologies have had such a rapid development and such a powerful impact on mankind as the invention of the airplane.
A Carbon Trading Market Perks Up
Sixteen years ago, Europe introduced a market based on what was then a revolutionary notion: forcing companies to cut greenhouse gas emissions by issuing credits that allow them to pollute up to a certain level. If they spew out more, they have to buy allowances from other companies. If they pollute less, they can sell their extra permits and bank the cash.
LIFE IN THE AIR: Living the Dream
The journey from M X to CFI
Boeing Says Pandemic Will Cut Demand For Planes For a Decade
Boeing is lowering its expectations around demand for new planes over the next decade as the coronavirus pandemic continues to undercut air travel.
Up in the Air
The aviation industry faces critical airspace issues.
HIgh Value Proposition
Flexible, responsive and surprisingly affordable, business aviation makes a compelling case for companies of all sizes
Going Global
Aeromexico expands its network, upgrades its fleet and improves the passenger experience.
Inside Uber's Innovation
What does success look like at Uber? The company has famously had its share of scandals, and its IPO earlier this year disappointed investors, but in a letter to his staff, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wrote that “our true north will be determined over the long term.” Much of that long-term vision is explored here, in a recently renovated industrial complex in San Francisco called Pier 70, which once housed shipbuilders and ironworkers but is now home to Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group. The employees in this space work on projects far outside Uber’s core ride-hailing business—they’re designing and developing self-driving vehicles, plans for aviation sharing, and the company’s JUMP bikes and scooters. And they get out of the office a lot: Working on transportation often means going along for the ride.
Jugs Vs. Jets
P-47 pilot scores the ultimate kill.