AIRWAYS SPECIAL
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2 A China Airlines Boeing 767-200 in Hong Kong wearing the former livery that features the flag of the Republic of China ( Taiwan ). // RICHARD VANDERVORD
3 As Taiwan is an unofficial ally of NATO , the fleet of its flag carrier included westernmade airplanes like the Airbus A300 in the late XX Century . // AIRBUS S . A . S .
4 From all the brands Of by Western states to fly to Taiwan , KLM Asia is the only one that kept its livery , though only in a symbolic form today .
5 The subsidiary Swissair Asia removed the Swiss cross from its livery , replacing it with Mandarin symbology on the tail . // AERO ICARUS
6 Air France extended its “ Asie ” brand even to cargo operations , given that Taipei is a hot spot in the air freight market in Asia . // AERO ICARUS
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WE FREQUENTLY underestimate how influential the aviation industry is to the global economy . Boeing alone is worth more than US $ 100 billion , and countries like Singapore or the United Arab Emirates would never be what they are without the success of Singapore Airlines ( SQ ), Emirates ( EK ), or Etihad ( EY ).
Commercial aviation can be a deciding factor in a country ’ s economic development , just as governments can have enormous power over the strategies taken by airlines and producers every year . A perfect example is the recent battle between the British and Nigerian governments , which , in August 2024 , played out an episode of tensions regarding their largest airlines ’ slots .
Air Peace ( P4 ), the largest airline of Nigeria , was denied to fly into Heathrow Airport ( LHR ); in retaliation , the Nigerian Government threatened both British Airways ( BA ) and Virgin Atlantic ( VS ) with losing their slots in Lagos ( LOS ) and Abuja ( ABV ). That would cost the airlines almost 6,000 weekly seats across their 21 frequencies between Nigeria and the United Kingdom .
One country that has used aviation to its political advantage is China , which has transformed something as simple as a plane ticket into an effective weapon .
The People ’ s Republic of China is the world ’ s most populous country ( though fast-growing India may now be threatening that claim ), with more than 1.4 billion people .
China ’ s up to 17 megacities , each inhabited by more than 10 million people , create a gigantic need for domestic transportation . In 2023 , almost 600 million people chose airplanes as their method of transport inside the country .
According to Boeing , China will surpass the United States as the world ’ s largest single aviation market in the next two decades . The manufacturer estimates that , by 2043 , almost 9,000 new planes will need to be built to meet China ’ s demand for domestic travel .
58 AIRWAYS MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2024 www . airwaysmag . com