A (not so) fond farewell to 2020 : Alison Chambers

A (not so) fond farewell to 2020 . . .

Alison Chambers, Resilient Aviation Editor.

It’s fair to say 2020 will go down as a year best forgotten for most of us and we can only hope for a better 2021 as vaccines become available and administered.

Aviation has proven to be resilient and positive, reinventing itself and seeking new opportunities.

BlueSky Editor Tim Harlow and I have enjoyed bringing you Resilient Aviation since April, shining a light on exciting new innovations and turning the tables on our journalists for their insights. How much we rely on them for accurate and timely news has never been more appreciated than in this last year of not going out!

As we wrap up the year, December has seen a flurry of exciting news stories - too many to cover in this last issue, but a promising sign of the positivity that is yet to come.

Sustainability has been front and centre this year. Hydrogen power and electrification of smaller aircraft, giving more credence to our great single engined turboprops, is moving apace. Breathing new life into established platforms like the Dornier 328eco from newly rebranded Deutsche Aircraft, backed by the German Government brings another competitor in the sub 50-seat market. ZeroAvia has secured a £12.3 million grant from the UK Government, adding to previous grants awarded by the ATI, while British start-up Faradair is assembling a stellar group of industry partners as it looks to build the UK's first hybid regional electric aircraft.

ConnectSkies launched last week as the first ever green aviation consultancy for future buyers. Business aviation operators in the EU and UK are preparing for Brexit by acquiring overseas AOCs. Air Charter Scotland has acquired a Maltese AOC; NetJets Europe a UK AOC, all in preparation for what lies ahead. Building on the success of fractional, time share models, bolstered since the pandemic we will see a new HondaJet day rate operation, also with a Maltese AOC, enter Europe and Asia next year, expanding out of its established US operations.

A rise in tech companies run by former business aviation operator executives, such as Adrian Parsons, founder of Aviation Data Solutions is making life easier and more transparent for the industry. Business aviation has fared considerably better than the airlines as WINGX highlights every week with smaller jets and turboprops leading the march back to business. We have all found new ways to connect in 2020 - some of the webinars and Town Halls, which Corporate Jet Investor has excelled in, have been exceptional. And now we are into full scale virtual shows and online networking straight out of SimCity with our own avatars. But, however brilliant it’s been to stay connected online and explore the opportunities for niche virtual events going forward, we all know it’s no replacement for the face-to-face networking we so desperately miss.

BlueSky's next issue will be on January 7, 2021 and Resilient Aviation will evolve with a new non advertising / sponsor format together with BlueSky, which I look forward to sharing with you in the New Year. We also have news of our own at Emerald Media. After 27 years as a specialist agency devoted to aviation we are now evolving and widening our skillset to automotive and marine sectors - with new lifestyle PR partner Victoria Macmillan Bell.

Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year.