VOL 19, NO. 01 JAN-FEB 2021 CLOSED JUST WHEN THINGS WERE LOOKING UP… FLEET RESTART SINO-US TIES AIR INDIA Pulling planes from storage Will Biden ease tensions A planned sale finds could pose big problems for Chinese aviation companies? few buyers for flag carrier Untitled-1 1 06-Jan-21 17:58:53 CONTENTS 20 23 26 FEATURES MORE OF THE SAME? 14 26 DIGITAL REVOLUTION Just when things were looking up with vaccines COVID-19 has accelerated airline digitalisation getting approved and shipped at the end of 2020, On the cover: (Image from Shutterstock) efforts like never before, with airline mobile apps new COVID-19 variants arrived in Asia and around and solutions taking on new roles during the the world, throwing up new barriers to a return to pandemic. 4 VIEWPOINT ‘normal’. The challenges mean that aviation won’t A new year, but ‘new normal’ be improving anytime soon. 29 DOES ANYONE REALLY still missing WANT AIR INDIA? 20 RESTARTING THE FLEET The government wants to sell Air India and NEWS With the peak northern summer approaching conglomerate Tata Sons wants to buy it, but the and vaccines offering hope, airlines are preparing deal has failed to take off repeatedly over the past 6 BUSINESS AVIATION to bring their aircraft back in service, but a lack several years. Why is it taking so long? NEWS of planning and decision-making could cause headaches in the MRO world. 7 ROTOR/UAV NEWS 23 TRADE WARS COULD GROUND 8 MRO NEWS CHINESE AVIATION COMPANIES 9 INTERIORS/IFEC NEWS The three-year Sino-US trade dispute avoided striking American vendors that sell civilian aircraft 10 AVIATION PEOPLE ON and their parts to China, but suddenly they’re THE MOVE grappling with US bans on businesses with key Chinese aircraft builders, in turn leaving those 12 INDUSTRY NEWS buyers short of supplies. 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VIEWPOINT A new year, but ‘new normal’ still missing IF YOU WERE LIKE ME LAST YEAR, you spent days online listening veloping its “Travel Pass” and the non-profit group The Commons to webinars and Zoom calls with experts in the aviation industry Project has developed one called the “CommonPass”. Both store prognosticating about the ‘new normal’ that would take hold once digital proof that the traveller has been tested for COVID-19 and we saw the end of the pandemic. And with the news of vaccines the border officials can scan the QR code to see where the traveller coming into play before the end of 2020, there was indeed a glim- was tested, which organisation did the testing, etc. Both of these mer of hope that things were looking up and it might be possible initiatives are great ideas and will, hopefully, become a reality sooner that we could take to the air again for international flights, borders rather than later. The only problem is, once again, governments are would reopen and the industry could try to earn back the billions dragging their heels on implementing them and efforts to coordinate of dollars it has lost. Now that we’ve entered the new year, it turns their rollout by organisations like ICAO are falling on deaf ears. As out that even with vaccines — being rolled out as slowly as they IATA’s de Juniac said: “This approach tells us that these governments are — we’re still waiting for whatever normality will arise and the are not interested in managing a balanced approach to the risks of signs aren’t promising. COVID-19. They appear to be aiming for a zero-COVID world. This is an impossible task that comes with severe consequences, the full COVID-19 & Quarantines extent of which would be impossible to calculate.” If you plan on travelling internationally on a regular basis this year, think again. Governments around world are not dropping their Hydrogen Dreams, Dodging Bullets quarantines anytime soon, especially as new strains of COVID-19 The duopoly of Airbus and Boeing bear watching this year as well. keep being discovered. Despite the pleas from organisations like Boeing dodged a major bullet when it settled a single US federal the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Association charge of fraud in the 737 MAX debacle. The company agreed to of Asia-Pacific Airlines (AAPA) and the International Civil Aviation pay US$2.5 billion to settle the case and blamed two errant em- Organisation (ICAO), governments, guided by their health author- ployees for the fiasco that cost the lives of 346 people who trusted ities, still take comfort (and political cover) in showing people that Boeing’s workmanship. Politicians in the US said the settlement they are “doing something”, even though we’ve seen that by the time was “pathetic” and a “disgrace” with one calling Boeing’s corporate a quarantine is actually in place, it’s too late. By some accounts, the culture “rotten”. Airbus, which is laying off employees left and right so-called “mutant UK strain” escaped Great Britain and was trav- (like other manufacturers) and bleeding cash, seems to be pinning elling around the world as early as December 2020. As Alexandre its hopes and future on hydrogen-powered planes and wants to de Juniac, the director general of IATA, said: “Science tells us that have one in the air by 2035. It’s a noble sentiment, but one wonders travellers will not be a significant factor in community transmission if how serious the company is about actually putting the necessary testing is used effectively. But most governments have tunnel-vision funding into such a moon-shot programme given the current state on quarantines and are not at all focused on finding ways to safely of the industry. For this to become a reality, it will take more than re-open borders, or alleviate the self-imposed economic and mental good thoughts and pretty pictures of futuristic planes. health hardships of the lockdowns.” As I’ve mentioned before, the old saying “may you live in inter- esting times” is really a curse. As they say in TV land, it remains to Digital Health be seen if 2021 will be as ‘interesting’ as last year. Hopefully not. When I first came to Asia to work for an NGO in then war-torn Sri Lanka in 1989, I had to carry a yellow card that showed proof I had been vaccinated against things like Yellow Fever. While a physical card may not make a comeback, organisations are developing a Matt Driskill EDITOR digital replacement using QR codes and smartphones. IATA is de- [email protected] What a feeling of happiness being open to the world can give us. With know-how and understanding, our engineers develop future-proof FINANCE & LEASING ROUTE DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS AVIATION solutions in the form of hygiene concepts that allow passengers and crew Cooperation is the name Airlines are scaling back A bright spot dims as quarantines of the game to survive. once ambitious growth plans. cut into private jet operations. alike to travel safely. Your success is our mission. highlights-diehlaviation.com/en/fly-again-together 4 AsianAviation | Jan-Feb 2021 Asian-Aviation-Nov-Dec-2020.indd 1 02.11.2020 09:38:03 What a feeling of happiness being open to the world can give us. With know-how and understanding, our engineers develop future-proof solutions in the form of hygiene concepts that allow passengers and crew alike to travel safely. Your success is our mission. highlights-diehlaviation.com/en/fly-again-together Asian-Aviation-Nov-Dec-2020.indd 1 02.11.2020 09:38:03 Business Aviation News EXECUJET MRO SERVICES MALAYSIA GAINS NEW CERTIFICATION ExecuJet MRO Services Malaysia is now cer- tified to work on all in-production models of Dassault Falcon aircraft, making it the lead- ing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organisation in Asia for Dassault Aviation civil aircraft. ExecuJet has now completed TAG Aviation welcomes two aircraft significant maintenance checks on all current production models of Dassault Aviation civil to its Asia fleet aircraft, namely the Falcon 900, Falcon 2000, TAG Aviation welcomed a new Gulfstream G600 and a new Bombardier Global 7500 to Falcon 7X and Falcon 8X. Some notable ex- its Asia fleet in the fourth quarter of 2020.