The FIFA World Cup is on in Brazil and the fever is catching up across continents. While it is the most televised event, it is also an event which catapults the aviation industry business as about six lakh international visitors are expected to be watching all 64 matches during the month-long extravaganza. Events such as the Olympics and Formula 1 rely so much on aviation for their people movement, logistics, etc that without aviation one can imagine how different it would be.

In this issue, we have captured the flavour of football in relation to business aviation. Brazil’s 90-odd airports are working overtime to fly players and football enthusiasts to 12 different venues, of course, with a price tag which only the rich and famous can afford. The iconic football player from Portugal Cristiano Ronaldo is using the services of four private aircraft to take his family and friends to different venues where Portugal will be playing. That is a strong statement on the benefits of business aviation.

Continuing on business aviation, the two events – ABACE in China and EBACE in Switzerland held recently – have signalled an upward trend in business aviation activity in Europe. In the EBACE show report, there are clear indications of the industry bouncing back as the response has been good, not just by the original equipment manufacturers but also by operators and other service providers.

In this issue, we have two articles on Honeywell Aerospace which has been in the forefront of technological advancements. R. Chandrakanth, SP’s Aviation’s Assistant Group Editor, was the sole representative from India on an international media tour of the Honeywell Aerospace facilities in Phoenix, Arizona, and he gives insights on the research and development work that is going on with regard to auxiliary power units, engines, etc.

In another article, he gives a perspective of the next-generation engines various engine manufacturers are working on, driven by the need to make them efficient, environment-friendly and cost-effective. One of the benefits of next-gen engines is that the down time is going to be reduced, making the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business to think about new ways of getting business. We have an article on MRO in Asia which talks about the potential in the region, particularly when aircraft acquisitions are happening at an astounding pace. Aircraft acquisitions, including regional, are fast-paced in India and there are lessons to be learnt from the United States how the latter has effectively networked the country with regional airlines. The article on regional aviation talks about the two scenarios and India’s potential.

Moving from civil aviation to military, Air Marshal (Retd) B.K. Pandey has written about Garuda V, a joint exercise recently held in Jodhpur that signifies forward movement in the attainment of a new level in the strategic partnership agreement between India and France, forged in 1988.

Rear Admiral (Retd) Sushil Ramsay has pointed out how capabilities of maritime aircraft make huge difference in intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance activity. Maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) is a game-changer and commanders at sea look up to MPA as a powerful instrument of command, control, communication and intelligence.

We look forward to your feedback as to enhance our coverage. Happy Landings!