Welcome to the Soaring 20's

The dawn of a new decade always brings exciting ideas about the future.

Look back at the last 10 years in aviation. The industry has transformed drastically. The number of airlines have fallen, regulations have risen and through it all, airports are still humming along.

I was thinking about what this new decade will bring and I know it’s going to be an exciting span for the industry. That being said, I wanted to share my 10 boldest predictions that will change the industry in the ‘20s:

1.     The PFC cap will be eliminated

2.      Airfield operations will become mostly automated

3.      TNCs will not be relevant by the end of the decade

4.      Biometrics will become the standard in boarding identification

5.      The U.S. ULCC market will expand, then contract into two main airlines

6.      50-seat commercial aircraft will rise in relevance again

7.      UAVs and hybrid electric aircraft will change the FBO business model 

8.      Airbus will be the world’s largest aircraft producer

9.      The EAS program will be eliminated, replaced with a charter block grant

10.   Commercial space travel still will not come

Now I don’t expect to be correct on all of these (because where’s the fun in that?), but I do think a lot of this is more than possible in the next decade. The world is changing faster than ever before and the aviation industry is no different.

It’s an exciting time for the industry and what the future holds. To paraphrase David Bowie, I don’t know where we’re going from here, but I promise you it won’t be boring.

Happy new years from all of us at Airport Business.