Aviation for Aviators
How Covid-19 Let The Flights Drop

Covid-19 has completely changed the world. While some industries are profiting or at least not being affected as much, aviation and tourism is suffering like nobody else.
While the number of passenger flights was close to 45 million in 2019 (44’988’996), the number went down by some 34.61% to some 29.4 million in 2020 (29’419’374). Overall, roughly one third less of traffic. However, the picture looks even worse when looking at the details.


While the first three months of 2020 were not too bad, with some decreases in Asia, the rest of the world was more or less still stable. However, the decline became very visible in April in Europe, later followed by North and South America. 2020 was therefore not a full year of Covid-19, it rather started.
Governments reacted very different. While some helped their airlines with cash (written off by governments), others received money on credit terms (hence, it will have to be paid back one day), and some did not get anything at all. They either had to look for aid on the private market or went bankrupt. But even those that did receive money had different conditions that came with it: the range is pretty much from no conditions at all, keeping all labor or forced to have a certain percentage of flights operating.
For the reasons mentioned above, comparing the number of flights against each other is not always that easy or even possible at all.
Those suffering most were the Middle East, Africa and Europe, all with more than 50% of decrease in flight volumes. There are several reasons leading to that result, but a big contributor is for sure that there are several countries within those regions and different travel restrictions made travel more difficult, if not impossible at all. In North America, mainly in the US, the biggest airlines got government aid but were also forced to have a certain number of flights operating. In addition to that, the US is one large country and the domestic network helped to avoid travel restrictions that applies by travelling from one country to another.
In Latin America, mainly due to missing government help, not only for aviation but for many industries and individual persons, airlines kept flying. People learned to live more easily with the virus while others are having complete or partial lockdowns.
Sources
Aviation
Which private jet is the best to travel in?

Private jets, the transportation of the super-rich, can be luxurious or a total scam. But which private jets are the best to travel in, based on cost, comfort, and range? Please note, that this list excludes all private jets which are also commercial jets, such as the BBJ or ACJ range.
Gulfstream G-650
The Gulfstream G-650 is one of the latest jets in the industry, with a luxurious and spacious cabin as well as a long-range. With a range of almost 14,000 kilometers, this aircraft can easily travel across the Atlantic ocean. Its cabin is well designed, being able to carry 8 passengers and 4 crew, to have the ultimate cabin experience. However, this aircraft does not come cheap, with standard pricing being around $65 million.

Dassault Falcon 8X
The Dassault Falcon 8X is the latest Dassault Jet released in May 2014. It has a range of around 12,000 so can fly to most areas in the world. It has a length of 24 meters and can seat an impressive 19 passengers when flying in the air. This tri-engined jet has a price of 60 million US dollars.

Bombardier Global 7500
The Bombardier Global 7500 was released in 2018 and is Bombardier’s latest in-service private jet. It has a nice and large range of 14.26 Thousand Kilometers, meaning that most of the world is within its limits. However, the Jet can’t carry nearly as many passengers, and can only carry 8. This jet costs a stunning 75 Million USD.

Sources:
- airpartner.com
- ainonline.com
- Forbes.com
- Dassaultfalcon.com
- Dassault-Aviation.com
- aviationweek.com
- aerocorner.com
- robreport.com
Aviation
A look inside the UK’s royal plane

What is the royal plane?
The UK has many aircraft, but the one which is most commonly known is the reconditioned Airbus A330, used for long-haul flights for the royal family and higher government officials. It has been fitted with 58 business class seats and can be regularly used to transport large groups of people to different destinations across the globe. Whilst it isn’t being used to transport the royals, the aircraft normally serves with the Royal Air Force as an air tanker.

Who uses the royal plane?
The aircraft is used by everyone from high government officials such as the Prime Minister to the King. Interestingly, heirs to the throne aren’t allowed in the same aircraft in case of a crash, leaving the UK without an heir to the throne. However, in previous years, some members of the royal family such as William and Kate have been spotted flying on commercial flights. The couple and their children were spotted on a Flybe plane to Aberdeen in 2019.

What are the other aircraft used by the royal family?
The royal family uses a variety of aircraft, used for short, medium, and long-haul flights. Most of their aircraft are supplied by the Royal air force and can be used as military aircraft or to carry military personnel to the frontlines when they are deployed. Another commonly known aircraft is the BAE 146 statesman, which is used for short-haul flying. It can carry as many as 26 passengers when configured for the royal family.

Sources:
- Simpleflying.com
- travelandleisure.com
- cnbc.com
- twitter.com
Aviation
A brief history of the Star Alliance

The Star Alliance celebrated its 25th Birthday on May 14th, But why was it started and which airlines formed it? Join me as I take a brief look into the history of the alliance.

When was it formed?
Star Alliance is the world’s largest alliance, being formed by 5 airlines in 1997. The 5 founding airlines were United, Lufthansa, Thai Airways, SAS and Air Canada. It was discussed for a while before finally officially being launched on May 14th, 1997 by the 5 airlines. The Airline quickly began to pick up members with the joining of VARIG 6 months after its formation before ANA, Ansett Australia, and Air New Zealand all became new members in 1999.

Why was the Alliance formed?
Like Most Alliances, the Star Alliance was mainly formed for Codesharing purposes. This is when an airline allows its passengers to fly with other Alliance members to get to other destinations. The main benefit of this is that airlines are able to make more money as they have a wider array of destinations to offer. The Alliance started Codesharing flights 5 months after its launch, as it became a new thing to passengers as it was the oldest large alliance and so was new.
Which airlines make up the Star Alliance?
The Star Alliance currently contains 26 member airlines which have a combined fleet of 5,033 aircraft and serve every single country in the world. The Star Alliance currently flies to around 1,300 airports. Noticeable members of the star alliance include: Lufthansa, ANA, Avianca, Swiss Airlines, LOT Polish airlines and Ethiopian Airlines. The Star Alliance allows passengers to fly and use air miles on any of the member airlines making it easier and more accessible to fly to different destinations.

Sources:
- simpleflying.com
- wikipedia.com
- miles-and-more.com
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