Edward Robertson, editor, Routes News

We haven’t even finished the first quarter of the year and already the world’s route development merry-go-round is in full swing. Routes Asia and Routes Americas have already successfully taken place in Cebu in the Philippines and Québec City in Canada and to read the full reports, turn to pages 21 and 27 respectively.

Both of the events saw some of the issues – from slot availability to overtourism – discussed but all attendees were also incredibly optimistic about the future. This positive spirit can be seen on page 39, where Cebu Pacific chief operating officer Michael Shau used his interview at Routes Asia to highlight the airline’s growth.

Meanwhile, Jetlines CEO Javier Suarez told delegates at Routes Americas of his plans to launch a low-cost carrier (page 32). And this optimism carries across to much of the rest of the industry.

Jet2.com CEO Steve Heapy is confident in the future, with his company having just taken delivery of its 100th aircraft (p48). This is despite the ongoing uncertainty over Brexit. Similarly, some of France’s top airports tell us how they are developing on page 71, while on page 76 some of Australia’s key airports also outline their plans for the future. Airports can also learn more about obtaining US preclearance facilities and what to consider on page 99.

This is not to say that everything is positive for the year so far. The deadly crash in March of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 killing all 157 people on board and the ensuing grounding of every aircraft of this model globally (page 12) is a problem demanding immediate solutions.

Meanwhile, the growing issue of drones, most recently and seriously experienced by London’s Gatwick and Heathrow Airport, is only going to get worse. We review the problem and the measures airports can take to protect themselves on page 87.

And if that isn’t enough, Routes Europe will be held in Hannover in April (page 93) and you don’t need to be an optimist to know that is one stop on the merry-go-round which is well worth getting off for.

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