Economic Green Shoots?
As I hop around the country’s airports, it looks to me as though new equipment is finally starting to show up on the ramp. Just the other day, I was at Charlotte International Airport, returning from the Farnborough Air Show, and noticed new belt loaders and power units at various airlines on the ramp. Later that week I was at Philly and noticed more new belt loaders. And just yesterday, flying through Ft. Lauderdale, I saw a new van sitting at the gate. After years of seeing little new on the tarmac, I couldn’t help but notice these gleaming new additions.
Could this be a harbinger of a turn in the aviation’s fortunes? I sure hope so. I’m hoping that this signals an uptick in the economy that has finally trickled down to the airlines, and from the airlines down to ground support. Recent news reports indicate that airlines may have finally turned an economic corner and are starting to report a profit. From what I saw at Farnborough, aviation is definitely on an upswing. Crowds were significantly bigger than the last show two years ago, by my estimation, and both Boeing and Airbus announced billions of dollars in sales.
