Boeing

The grounding of the Boeing 737 Max worldwide may be the most consequential aviation event in the past decade. Boeing is still confident the plane will fly again. But when?

It was yet another tumultuous year in the airline industry with many storied names (Thomas Cook, for example) going under and the grounding of one of the world’s best-selling jets (the Boeing 737 Max). No one said aviation was an easy business.

TUI continues to have ambitious plans, and its quest to move away from the traditional tour operating market seems sensible given the problems endured by one of its biggest competitors. But good intentions often get derailed by outside circumstances. Can it stay the course in 2020?

Southwest Airlines always is hesitant to mess with its secret sauce. But it's a gigantic airline, and it might benefit from operating more than one aircraft type.

Boeing said Wednesday it expects regulators in some countries soon will approve its fixes to the 737 Max program. We've heard this before. But indications seem to suggest Boeing is close this time.

Offering up a sacrificial lamb to investors won't do much to solve American Airlines' operational issues, which are multifaceted in nature. Perhaps its new executive structure, though, will let it solve its woes more effectively than before. The rest of the U.S. aviation sector is watching.

Is this finally it? Is the Boeing 737 Max returning to service? American Airlines is more confident than ever that the airplane will be ready by January 16, but that remains to be seen.

American Airlines had a tough summer, with labor issues and the grounding of its 24 Boeing 737 Max aircraft. But Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr said at Skift Global Forum that these two areas are at the top of management's agenda for next year.

Emirates President Tim Clark clearly had an agenda on Wednesday speaking with the media. He said he is tired of reliability challenges with new airplanes, and he wants suppliers to get their act together — quickly. Somebody had to say it.

The Max grounding overshadowed a decent set of results. TUI will be hoping the safety issues are ironed out well in advance of next summer, the period when profits can be the most robust.