Aviation – It’s a Family Thing

Aviation, particularly commercial aviation, has been part of my family life for over 30 years. My first real job (with all due respect to Burger King in Croydon), was as a marketing executive at British Airways on the Buckingham Palace Road in London. Before that even, my father worked in commercial aviation through various roles in government and airlines, and my twin brother worked at British Midland and remains connected to the travel industry today. Since my time at British Airways, I have been lucky enough to continue to work within the aerospace industry – at airlines, related agencies, and now Honeywell Aerospace. During this time, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with hundreds of people from across the sector – and across the globe.

It has always struck me that the airline industry is a close-knit family. Yes, there is and should be competition. But there is also respect and appreciation of the fact we all work in a dynamic environment that is full of innovation, hope and unity. Together, we’ve traveled to the edge of space and thanks to Concorde, through time. We’ve created jobs – and taken vacations, we’ve bridged social gaps and broken sound barriers. There is so much we have to be proud of. I’ll never forget how a South African Airlines B747 helped unite a divided nation, flying so incredibly low over Ellis Park at the start of the 1995 Rugby World Cup Final.  

Aviation is one of the most “global” of industries: connecting people, cultures, and businesses across continents. Our industry supports an incredible 62 million jobs globally – 9.9 million directly. That’s some family! Together, we’ve overcome adversity before, and I am confident that in these unprecedented times, we will once again stand shoulder to shoulder to recover from the impact of COVID 19.  

At Honeywell, we stand ready to help our customers and the airline sector at large. Honeywell provides many key products and systems for the worlds’ airline fleets, which may need updates or maintenance before an aircraft is returned to service. Through our global Tech Support team, we are committed to treating every return-to-service request in an urgent manner while staying in alignment with the aircraft OEMs.

In addition to maintaining the health and safety of the aircraft, Honeywell will also help protect crew and passengers. We’re already supplying airlines with hand sanitizer, N95 masks, gloves, respirators, gowns and other personal protective equipment that shields against viruses, including COVID-19.

As families and communities around the world come to terms with the impact of COVID-19, which tragically, in many cases, includes very real and personal loss, Honeywell is here to work with our airline partners to ensure that not only does our industry survive, but thrives. Because when you fly, we fly – and together, we will fly again.

Find out more about how Honeywell is helping airlines return to the skies