Jay Shabat

Just two weeks ago at the IATA AGM in Delhi, the aviation world was celebrating a new golden age for Indian aviation. Last week, the mood abruptly shifted as the industry confronted its worst nightmare. For all the marvels of air travel – its economic influence, its cultural influence, all the jobs it provides, all the joy it provides – there’s nothing more distressing than a fatal accident. Our sympathies go to all affected by the Air India tragedy. In this week's issue, we explore Air India's turnaround plan as it grapples with last week's crash.

Spirit Airlines and Wizz Air are an ocean apart, but share common challenges which are impacting profitability and operational efficiency.

Ever wake up in the morning and feel like your engines just won’t start? Now you know how Wizz Air has felt every day of the post-pandemic era. Europe’s third largest low-cost carrier (after Ryanair and easyJet) just reported another dismal quarter, one much worse than even its official negative 10% figure suggests. In this week's feature story, we explore the key factors causing problems for the LCC and examine plans to get Wizz Air onto a stronger, more strategic, flight path.

We sort the speculation from the facts, contextualize the JetBlue-United deal, and ask what it really means for the carriers and the wider industry.

Welcome to the new U.S. airline industry. United is now friends with JetBlue. Southwest will now charge you for bags. United and American are both investing in Brazil. Delta is investing in Canada. But is this a new and improved U.S. airline industry? That will likely depend on what wins the race to the bottom: Demand, supply, or fuel costs? All three are declining, as we discuss in this week's feature story.

Congratulations, IndiGo! You’re now a member of the Ten Billion Dollar Club. Only about 20 other airlines generate more than $10 billion in revenue annually. India's largest airline is also the club’s youngest member — it’s still a teenager at just 19. But much more important than either its size or its age is its consistently strong profitability. In this week's feature story, we examine some of the secrets behind IndiGo's enormous success.

Don't read too much into Ryanair's January-March quarter, the Irish low-cost giant still looks set for a fantastic summer season, boosted by tight supply and robust demand.

Uh oh. Looks like the party is winding down. Are the good times over for Singapore Airlines? Last week, it unveiled a lackluster 6% operating margin for the January-to-March quarter. It was roughly half the figure it earned at the same time last year, suggesting that indeed, the balloons might be popping and the dance music fading. In this week's feature story, we assess the prospects for one of Asia’s most esteemed carriers.

Singapore Airlines is a byword for high standards, and usually profitability. Can it keep the momentum going amid overcapacity concerns?

Allegiant earned a +9% operating margin in Q1 2025. That seems downright triumphant compared to Southwest’s figure of -2%, Frontier’s -5%, or JetBlue’s -8%, but context is key. In 2019, Allegiant’s operating margin in the first quarter was 20%. In other words, it’s performing 11 points worse today, a drop repeated at most of its LCC peers. In this week's feature story, we ask what's going on.