Bombardier C Series
Now, with all the prevailing conditions, it might not seem to be the most likely time to even consider starting up a new airline, especially here in the Caribbean. But, maybe there is an opportunity here at last, to establish a regional and international airline, that has a logical operating base, has a staff count that is sustainable and operating costs lower than existing carriers.
Being an aircraft manufacturer must be one of the most difficult industries in the world. You have to look far up the road, calculate, if not gamble, what your customers are likely to need in many years to come and then spend almost incomprehensible amounts of money on research and development. I am sure hand-on-heart, not many of the airline makers executives could have foreseen just how quickly and dramatically fuel prices would rise.
Now every airline is galvanised into reducing costs in just about every conceivable way possible. Cost-saving measures include removing all in flight reading material, life jackets and the more obvious ones like charging for second (or first) pieces of luggage. It’s perhaps easy to forget that Canada is the world’s third largest aircraft builder and has had an enviable history in the aviation industry.
Projects like the world beating Avro Arrow gave them a lead even on their southern neighbour for a while, until politics took over. Bombardier will soon launch is CSeries, which has already captured the interest of the German carrier, Lufthansa, who I understand has signed a letter of interest to acquire up to 60 of the new planes. With a seating capacity of between 100 and 145 passengers and an operating distance of between 2,200nm (nautical miles) and 2,950nm with a full payload, it seems to be perfect for most of the routes operated into Barbados from both within the Caribbean, and North, South and Central America.
But this is the crunch.
The CSeries will burn up to 20% less fuel than existing equipment currently available, emit 20% less CO2, 50% less NOx, fly four times more quietly and bring a reduction of 15% in improved cash operating costs.*
In the words of Bombardier’s Commercial Aircraft President ‘These are game-changing aircraft’. The only drawback appears to be that the aircraft will not enter service until 2013. But in terms of our medium to long term tourism master plan, that really is not light years away and there just maybe an opportunity of creating something that will lessen our dependency on factors that we are unable to control.
Just this year alone, we have seen the dramatic reduction of airlift into Puerto Rico and its spokes, XL Airways recently announced they are cancelling their entire Caribbean programme effecting six territories and Zoom Airlines left hundreds of passengers stranded while they entered protected bankruptcy. Other airlines have reduced capacity or curtailed routes until hopefully business picks up again.
I am not sure just how many opportunities we can afford to ignore.
When European Vision sat idly by in Carlisle Bay for months and was finally sold-off for about US$250 million, we missed such an opportunity. While extra regionally based cruise ship companies continue to derive the majority of their profits from within the Caribbean. Successive Canadian Government’s have been kind to Barbados and to the Caribbean generally. Responsible investment and financial support has been the hallmark of their relationship with us.
Is there just someway, we just might be able to realise the dream that many of us in tourism have, that we can in fact run a commercially successful airline that helps drive our principal industry?
Is it just a dream, or could it become true?
Adrian Loveridge
30 August 2008
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