PARIS (AP) — Airbus says the aviation industry’s unprecedented troubles are just beginning.
The European manufacturing giant reported 481 million euros ($515 million) in losses in the first quarter, put thousands of workers on furlough and sought billions in loans to survive the coronavirus crisis. And its CEO said Wednesday it’s still at an “early stage.”
‘Faury insisted that airplanes are “probably the best place to be” during a virus outbreak because of air filtration systems put in place after previous virus outbreaks and other threats…’
So much I could comment on regarding this report but I’ll confine myself a little to keep this short and to the point.
After years of travelling, I can attest that these guys build aircraft that allows airlines to treat most of us like cattle. I don’t know on what planet he’s on but an aircraft…i.e. an aluminum tube…is in no way a ‘best place to be’…imho…of course.
Agreed, the airlines trying to pack passengers in like sardines in ever tinier seats, was the actual start of this crisis.
Faury insisted that airplanes are “probably the best place to be” during a virus outbreak because of air filtration systems put in place after previous virus outbreaks
Tough sell.
Faury insisted that Airbus remains committed to reducing airplane emissions but said it’s “less urgent” than before the coronavirus crisis because the company has more pressing problems to solve.
This is me scratching my head… 
Perhaps this is a fine time to radically re-think, re-imagine and re-engineer air travel of the future?
The 20th century created the airline industry.
The 21st century may very well end it.
Looking longer term, Faury insisted that Airbus remains committed to reducing airplane emissions but said it’s “less urgent” than before the coronavirus crisis because the company has more pressing problems to solve. “For practical cash reasons,” Airbus has stopped or suspended some projects aimed at “decarbonizing” its production, he said.
I think we can assume that means their participation in CORSIA/carbon offsets is functionally dead for the foreseeable future.
CORSIA: This UN-backed programme aims to ensure a rise in international aviation emissions (above 2020 levels) is offset elsewhere.
This is strong argument that carbon indulgences are not a sustainable method to reducing carbon emissions.
Airbus says the aviation industry’s unprecedented troubles are just beginning.
No shit. Well, the aviation industry is probably better off than the ocean cruise industry. Why? Because I can build a HazMat suit that isolates me for an entire trip on an airplane, but I can’t stay in a HazMat suit for an entire cruise because of waste disposal issues unless the suit is really expensive. Besides, who wants to go on a cruise in a HazMat suit? This is all so insane.
If the aviation industry wants to keep passengers safe, then they should provide HazMat suits that are certified to be disease free. Failing certification would result in a very expen$ive fine along with civil penalties to the passenger and the passenger’s estate.
Here’s a selling point: If you’re given your own HazMat suit, then I guarantee that the only farts you’ll have to smell for your entire trip are your own. Your children can enjoy their HazMat suits if you exercise their imaginations and play the “We’re going to Mars!” game. If the HazMat suit is well designed, you can even safely drive a rental car while wearing it.
Welcome to our Brave New World.
Airbus discovered it needed to join the long line of industries and people in the “gravest crisis” category. I am not sure this is really news.
You know what? GOOD! We have way too many planes flying way too many flights burning way too much jet fuel and dumping way too much waste gas into the upper atmosphere. Even if the reduction in air travel is temporary, it’s still a good thing. People fly too often when they don’t really need to. Like NO ONE needs to fly to Vegas for some stupid vacation. I’m not knocking Vegas, it’s fun and all, but no one NEEDS to go there, let alone fly there.
Same for so many unnecessary business trips that can be done without travel, or with travel via more environmentally-friendly means. If aircraft makers end up scaling back production long-term due to the shutdown and concerns about travel, while that will be bad for their workers and communities, it will be a net plus for humanity, and their workers and communities will adapt. The economy doesn’t exist for the good of some, but for the good of all.
Hopefully, we’ll finally get real high-speed rail here, obviating the need for many flight routes of under say 500 miles, and being almost competitive for routes of up to around 700 miles, especially when you factor in the time savings of downtown to downtown routes and no need to take taxis, trains or buses to town, and less time to check in, pass through security and retrieve your bags.
I think there is a significant chance that business travel ends up cut a large amount after people see how they can do business remotely. Companies will look at those profit margins and tell people not to travel, or require justification. That will have a huge effect on the travel industry, which really is geared towards business travelers as they spend most of the money…that’s why your seat has gotten so much smaller, they have put in more suites for business travelers because they make more money that way.
For the rest of us (I travel for work but not enough to be a real business traveler), it means that flights will likely get more expensive and less frequent. What we can hope is that, at least for a while, that seats remain empty, or even that airlines pull out some seats, so we can spread back out some. Once the world goes back to flying all over (it will happen), we will likely get crammed in together again though, with the airlines against looking at profit instead of passenger comfort.