BOEING FORAYS INTO GENERAL AVIATION

The US aerospace major Boeing has in the recent past, set up a new $17 billion business unit with its headquarters in Dallas. Known as Boeing Global Services, the aim of this unit is to expand activities of the company to foray into the domain of general aviation. In a recent conference in Denver, William Ampofo from Boeing, summarised how the new business venture is increasing its footprint in light aircraft and business aviation. There is clearly a strong emphasis on future pilot needs. The new venture of Boeing employs about 23,000 people and includes Jeppesen, Aviall and the recently acquired ForeFlight and KLX, a supply chain business that Boeing renamed Boeing Distribution Services and which supplies components to both Boeing customers and competitors.

Boeing is also partnering with Redbird on training initiatives to fill a pilot pipeline that William Ampofo predicts will swell to a need for 330,000 pilots worldwide by 2030. Boeing also forecasts that some 40,000 new commercial aircraft will be added to the fleets worldwide in the next 20 years.