Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani characterized the actions needed to address the depressed state of the world’s airline business as “a matter of survival” during a press conference in Hanoi today.
Bisignani’s alarm calls came as August’s international passenger growth slowed to 1.3 percent, following a “disappointing” growth of 1.9 percent in July. August passenger load factors fell to 79.2 percent, a figure that represents a sharp decline from the 81 percent recorded during the same period last year, as capacity growth outpaced demand. Meanwhile, international freight traffic saw its third consecutive month of contraction, with a 2.7-percent decline following drops of 1.9 percent in July and 0.8 percent in June.
Passenger traffic grew at a rate of 5.4 percent during the first half of the year. 
“The contrast between the first half of the year and the last two months is stark,” said Bisignani. “The slowdown has been so sudden that airlines can’t adjust capacity quickly enough. While the drop in the oil price is a welcome relief on the cost side, fuel remains 30 percent higher than a year ago. And with traffic growth continuing to decline, the industry is still heading for a $5.2 billion loss this year.
“The industry crisis is deepening and no region is immune,” he added. “Urgent measures are needed. From taxation to charges and operational efficiencies, all areas impacting the business must be examined for ways to reduce costs and drive efficiencies. It’s a matter of survival.”&nbsp; 
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Bisignani: Airlines in Survival Mode

International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani characterized the actions needed to address the depressed state 

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