GENEVA – Airlines are set to suffer bigger than expected losses of $US5.6 billion in 2010 despite a recovery in passenger traffic, the air transport industry association IATA said on Tuesday.
“We are ending an Annus Horribilis that brings to a close the 10 challenging years of an aviation Decennus Horribilis,” said IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani.
We think Giovanni means things in the aviation sector have been pretty damn awful.
Still, there was some good news around yesterday – Boeing’s much-delayed Dreamliner 787 took to the skies for the first time.
ANA is slated to receive the first 787 when the aircraft is finally available – a milestone now scheduled for around a year from now, sometime during the final quarter of 2010.
Qantas remains the second-biggest customer for Dreamliner with 50 firm orders.
