Highlights
- Welcome to your January 2025 issue of Airliner World, incorporating Airports of the World. This month, we focus on the introduction of the game-changing Airbus A321XLR with Spanish flag carrier Iberia. the new variant, a culmination of five years’ work by the European manufacturer, has been billed as an aircraft destined to reshape long-haul international flying. Chris Sloan headed to the airline’s Madrid/Barajas hub to jet off on the inaugural long-haul service from the Spanish capital to Boston.
- Staying in Europe, Lee Cross headed to Dublin to speak to Ian Lough, head of commercial at Emerald Airlines, which took over the Aer Lingus Regional franchise three years ago and has bold ambitions for the future.
- Across the pond, Matteo Legnani travelled to California to speak to Mikael Pelet, CFO and COO of Aero, a new airline offering scheduled semi-private jet flights with Embraer ERJ135s. Meanwhile, Airliner World editor Thomas Haynes headed to Flagstaff/Pulliam Airport, a charming small regional facility that is the gateway to the Grand Canyon, to find out more about its unique operation.
- Elsewhere, Chris Frame looks at the state of the aviation industry in Australia following the closure of Bonza Airlines and the collapse of Rex and how the duopoly of Qantas/Virgin Australia appears unbreakable. Siddharth Ganesh investigates how Etihad Airways is ambitiously evolving for the future under the leadership of CEO Antonoaldo Neves. and as we hurtle into 2025, the Airliner World team also brings you a low-down of ‘What to watch in 2025’ from airports, airlines and aircraft.
- Last but by no mean least, Rob Veitch brings the first of our new ‘How it works’ mini-series, with a fascinating exploration of the secret of slots.
Full Contents
Features
- Evolving Etihad – Etihad Airways has changed tack more than once in its lifetime, but how is it shaping up to face the future? Siddharth Ganesh investigates
- An elevated experience – Matteo Legnani travels to California to experience Aero, an airline offering scheduled semi-private flights to a handful of destinations using ERJ135s
- The duopoly down under – The post-pandemic years in Australian aviation have been turbulent with the rebirth of Virgin Australia, the launch and demise of Bonza and the collapse of Rex. Chris Frame investigates what's going on
- Slot secrets – Robert Veitch peers behind the departure boards to discover how airports attempt to achieve maximum utilisation of their slot allocations
- What to watch in 2025 – The Airliner World team highlight some key areas across airlines, airports and aircraft manufacturers that we’ll be keeping a close eye on in 2025
- Connecting canyons and capitals – Thomas Haynes travels to Flagstaff/Pulliam in Arizona to find out about its unique operation on the doorstep of the Grand Canyon
- “Look ma, no hands!” – Robin Evans explores the history of autoland and outlines the considerations for enabling safe operations in low visibility
- A breath of fresh aer – Lee Cross heads to Dublin to learn how Emerald Airlines is progressing, three years after accepting the Aer Lingus Regional franchise
- Going the XLR mile – As Iberia says bienvenido to the Airbus A321XLR, Chris Sloan flies to Madrid to discover how this game-changer might shake up the skies
Regulars
- News review
- Sky View: Insights and opinion on the industry’s hottest topics
- Deliveries: Latest commercial acquisitions
- MRO News
- Departure Gate: Readers’ comments and lighter stories
- Aviation Training: Round-up of recent developments
- Air Safety: Incident and accident reports
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