IAGblog Podcasts

Boeing Unplugged - Randy Tinseth post Dubai 2013

Airbus Unplugged - Chris Emerson

Airbus vs Boeing

Scott Fancher Unplugged

Uplugged - LCI

Bombardier at MAKS

The MRJ Delay

A conversation with Patrick Edmond from e2consult.aero who is based in Dublin.

Pre Paris 2013

Vincent Lamigeon

Canada is at forefront of aviation biofuel testing. Dave Marcotte, Group Leader Airborne Research at National ResearchCouncil Canada, discusses the test with us.

Interview with Pedro Vincente Azua, COO of the EBAA.

Rob Dewar, VP & GM CSeries Program, spoke with us today about the tightening timeline the program is facing. Although this is not big news, he shares that the program has already seen significant benefits from its investments in its CIASTA investment - they have been able to accumulate ten times the flight hours that a typical program (flying an airplane) is capable of doing. The assembly team is also seemingly trained and well down the learning curve. But, based on this call we think there won't be a first flight in 2012. First quarter 2013 seems more likely.

We had a chance to speak Dennis Tajer, a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, and also a 21 year veteran pilot at American. The conversation quickly moved into a review of the Chapter 11 situation plus its origins. While the conversation is the view from organized labor, with its attendant bias, one is left with the impression that matters have sunk to a truly low level. Morale is down. The TWU and Flight attendants have joined the pilots in siding with the management at US Airways. The pilots want the merger as soon as possible because they see the delays further disrupting the airline's recovery.

Erik Venter is CEO of South Africa-based Comair. Mr Venter speaks with us about his airline and the challenges it faces, as well as the opportunities, of operating in South Africa. Comair has been operating profitably for over 60 years. But it gets tougher as the state-owned competition continues to lose money and has a seemingly bottomless taxpayer funded bank account. Meanwhile a plucky team at Comair runs the highest level domestic service as a British Airways franchise while at the same time operating its own LCC (Kulula). Looking ahead Comair must seek other markets given the limited size of the South African travel market. Mr Venter drops hints at an Africa hub to the north which could ultimately allow its 737-800NGs to serve the EU.