Market Intelligence: Indian Subcontinent

FLYING Media Group Acquires AirlineGeeks Digital Media Site

FLYING Media Group has acquired AirlineGeeks, a digital media site that offers news, reviews, and content about the airline industry. AirlineGeeks delivers the latest airline and aviation news around the globe in real time, offering a unique vantage point for the “AvGeek.” With more than 25 contributors, AirlineGeeks is trafficked by aviation enthusiasts, as well as airline industry executives and analysts.

AirlineGeeks is the 20th aviation-related brand that FLYING Media Group has purchased in the past two years in a strategy to expand the world’s leading aviation content platform and serve an audience that spans from light sport to space and vintage to frontier.

“As a young boy, I fell in love with aviation while watching airliners take off and land near my house in Tennessee,” said Craig Fuller, CEO of FLYING Media Group (FMG). “I would make my parents drive me to Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport (KATL) to watch the commercial aircraft and stood in awe as they seemed to defy the laws of gravity. I am an AvGeek myself and can’t wait to build on the AirlineGeeks brand.”

FMG has been very active in acquiring brands that service the general aviation industry. While commercial aviation and GA are often thought of as distinct and separate markets, they have become more interdependent in recent years.

Commercial pilots often start their careers as GA pilots, and many of them retain their love for flying in small GA aircraft their entire lives. GA is also a test bed for new technologies and airframes that eventually make their way into commercial applications. With the emergence of air taxis and urban air mobility offerings that will blend commercial  with personal aviation, the two markets have never been more connected.

FMG is not just focused on the enthusiast side of the market but plans to use AirlineGeeks (airlinegeeks.com) as a foundation to build a premier business-to-business data, news, and market intelligence platform for the commercial aviation industry.

The global market size for the airline industry is more than $840 billion and is expected to grow by a compound annual rate of nearly 4 percent over the next decade.

“As people around the world become wealthier, they wish to travel,” said Fuller. “Commercial flight is unmatched in its ability to link the world and offer experiences that are only possible because of the efficiency of the global airline industry. Additionally, as supply chains continue to build resilience into their operations, global air cargo will experience exponential growth over the next few decades. This is what’s driving fast growth on an unprecedented scale.”

About FLYING Media Group

FLYING Media Group is the largest aviation media provider in the world, with content spanning 20 aviation-related brands, including FLYING, Plane & Pilot, KITPLANES, AVweb.com, AirlineGeeks, and Aircraft For Sale. With an audience of nearly 3 million monthly visitors and subscribers, the broad reach of the FMG platform is unmatched by any other aviation media source.

Source: FLYING Press Release

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Boeing Shares Information On How Pilot and Technician Outlook Report Is Developed And Used

Early in 2023 Boeing released its Pilot and Technician Outlook (PTO)– a 20-year forecast of global demand for new aviation personnel, including pilots, technicians and cabin crew. The PTO is developed, refined and published each year by Global Services’ Strategy team in partnership with various stakeholders and subject matter experts across the enterprise – but there’s much more to it than updating numbers every 12 months.

To better understand what goes in to creating the outlook, Boeing asked Tina Lewis, a senior manager in Global Services Strategy and one of the architects of the PTO, to explain how the report is generated, the importance of the data, and how it is used within Boeing and externally.

Tell us about the team that puts together the Pilot and Technician Outlook (PTO). 

The PTO is a joint effort between our Strategy team, the Global Services Training Solutions business, and subject matter experts in Commercial Airplanes and Global Services Sales and Marketing.

We also collaborate with former and current pilots as well as mechanics to harvest customer insights and expertise. Working together, we identify changing industry requirements, evolving market trends, and the competitive landscape. We also use external industry research, leveraging benchmarks and data analysis to build out robust forecast assumptions.

Why does Boeing produce this outlook and who uses the data?

For more than two decades, the PTO has been the aviation industry’s leading forecast in global commercial personnel demand – providing airlines, suppliers and the wider aviation community a resource to track the evolution of market trends over a 20-year period.

  • Within Boeing, the PTO is shared broadly to support market shaping. We also use the forecasts to aid in developing long-range business plans and influencing our growth strategy.
  • Externally, the PTO helps build confidence with industry stakeholders and constituents. We also share our data with government agencies including the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), regulators, and airline customers to help with their own growth strategies.

How does Boeing determine data and trends that are published in the forecast? 

When developing the PTO, we consider what is currently happening in the market in terms of regulatory changes, as well as the demand for future aircraft.

  • Fleet growth and natural attrition play a role in determining future demand for pilots, technicians and cabin crew.
  • For pilots, we also look at pilot movement to larger airplanes and from first officer to captain ranks. Technician demand also factors in airplane age and utilization, while cabin crew forecasting considers regulatory requirements and cabin configurations.

We also create more detailed training and simulator market forecasts for our internal stakeholders to aid resource and investment planning. This includes outlooks for services such as such as pilot provisioning — or what many see as “pilot for hire” — as well as forecast demand for new simulators, simulator data packages, hardware and support.

What data sources or metrics inform the outlook? 

The Commercial Market Outlook is the main data source for our outlook. But before we get to modeling, we use primary and secondary research to collect data that helps shape our assumptions.

  • Many of our colleagues pass along firsthand information from industry stakeholders based on conversations at events like EAA Airventure Oshkosh and the World Airline Training Symposium.
  • Our team also uses third-party publications and media for secondary insights into personnel challenges and shortages that validates much of the primary research.

What challenges or limitations do you encounter when forecasting?

One of our biggest challenges is the availability of data. Information for some regions is not easily accessible. This makes it difficult to perform the right checks and balances against our forecast. We forecast future demand and not the current supply of personnel. We’ve developed viewpoints on the supply side using readily available U.S. data and other information shared directly from our stakeholders. Yet for other regions, it can be much more difficult to acquire credible data sources to validate our assumptions.

Source: Boeing News Now (BNN)
Photo Credit: Boeing

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Indian Airline, Akasa Air, Achieves a Fleet Size of 20 New Aircraft within 12 Months of Commercial Operations

Indian low-cost carrier Akasa Air on 07 August, completed one year of commercial operations in the Indian skies. The airline operated its first commercial flight on 07 August 2022 from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, presenting an empathetic service culture, more affordable choices and greater connectivity to Indians, ushering in a new phase of growth for Indian aviation.

Fastest growing airline with unprecedented network and fleet expansion

With an initial fleet induction plan of adding one brand new aircraft every 15 days, Akasa Air has created the record of becoming one of the fastest growing airlines in the 120-year history of global aviation by virtue of achieving a fleet size of 20 new aircraft within 12 months of commercial operations. Further, the delivery of its 20th aircraft on 1 August 2023, makes Akasa Air the first airline in Asia to add the 737-8-200 variant of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to its rapidly expanding fleet. Akasa Air’s order book comprises 76 jets which include 23 737-8s and 53 737-8-200 airplanes. In addition, the airline remains fully committed to placing a three-digit aircraft order by the end of 2023.

The landmark addition of its 20th aircraft, heralds the next chapter of growth in the Akasa Air story, driving Akasa’s foray into international skies, and allowing the airline to showcase its unique and category re-defining service to the world. With this immense impetus to its growth plans, Akasa will get access to international flying opportunities as it prepares to commence international operations by December 2023.

In its first year of commercial operations, Akasa Air has already served 4.3 million passengers and crossed the milestone of operating over 900 weekly flights with a published network of 35 unique routes across 16 destinations. It has also carried over 25,000 tonnes of cargo across its network during this time.

In a short span of a year, Akasa Air has grown its market share from 0% to 4.9%, having registered a passenger load factor of over 84% since the start of operations, with a steadily growing record of close to 90% in the current financial year. While developing its operations, the airline has maintained a steadfast commitment to becoming India’s most dependable airline, evidenced with industry leading on time performance for several consecutive months of operations in 2023. 

Commenting on the milestone, Vinay Dube, Founder and CEO, Akasa Air, said, in part: “We feel extremely fulfilled to have successfully executed our ambitious and unprecedented scale-up over the last 12 months. As we have grown and delivered to our plans, Akasa Air has become the preferred carrier for an increasing number of travellers across the country.”

About Akasa Air  

Akasa Air is India’s newest and most dependable airline, offering warm and efficient customer service, reliable operations, and affordable fares – all in the Akasa Way. Akasa’s youthful personality, employee-centric philosophy, tech-led approach, and culture of service will make this commitment a reality for all Indians. The carrier launched its first commercial flight on 07 August 2022 to support the growing demand across India. With a commitment to being socially responsible, Akasa Air has placed a firm order of 76 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, powered by CFM fuel-efficient, LEAP-1B engines. The 737 MAX family aircraft deliver superior efficiency in reducing fuel use and carbon emissions, fulfilling the airline’s promise of being an environmentally friendly company with the youngest and greenest fleet in the Indian skies. 

 Source: Excerpts from Akasa Air Press Release
Photo Credit: Akasa Air

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Global Pilot Training Group, SIMAERO, Announces Two Latest Appointments to Develop India Training Center

Global operator of full flight simulator training centers SIMAERO is delighted to introduce two new members who will be responsible for developing the SIMAERO India venture alongside General Manager Khushbeg Jattana:

Both are joining SIMAERO bringing with them years of experience in their respective fields and extensive knowledge of the aviation industry, having worked for major aviation players in India.

Source: SIMAERO
Photo Credit: SIMAERO (shown as meta image)

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Indian Airline IndiGo Approves Incorporation of LLP for Venture Capital Investments

IndiGo announced that the Board of Directors of InterGlobe, its parent company, have approved the incorporation of Limited Liability Partnership for venture capital investments, the airline announced in its latest disclosure. The investment amount is Rs. 7 Crore (approx US$1 million). The particulars include investment into startups operating in aviation, consumer and allied sectors such as travel & lifestyle, hospitality, and transportation.

Source: IndiGo
Photo Credit: IndiGo (shown as meta image)

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