Reading our exclusive CEO survey in this edition of ACM, conducted in partnership with Tornos Aviation Consulting and AIX, it’s heartening to hear that there’s such positivity in the sector.

The return to ‘normal’ after the COVID pandemic is clearly continuing, particularly after the re-opening of China, although some stresses within the industry remain evident.

One of these is the supply chain challenges that were precipitated by the pandemic and have prompted a global recalibration of the just-in- time approach to global supply chains.

A number of the CEOs we surveyed for this edition of ACM tell us that they have reacted to this by taking back more in-house control over the sourcing and warehousing of stock.

However, we hear ongoing issues continue to lead to longer lead-in times, logistical headaches and what one CEO described as ‘unjustifiable’ price increases.

The other ongoing issue highlighted by the study is people, and while some businesses have taken advantage of access to a more global, flexible and remote workforce, others aren’t in such a fortuitous position.

This appears to be the more persistent issue, as we leave COVID behind us, for an aviation industry that is particularly reliant on reliable, well-trained and accredited staff.

Afterall it is so often true in business that it is people who give you an edge, that something extra which sets you apart from your rivals.

You can read about one such person in this edition of ACM in which we profile inventor Bill Boyer Jr who has seen remarkable success selling his innovations into the aviation sector.

He puts this down to doing things in a different, maybe somewhat unorthodox, but nevertheless certainly very effective way.

It just goes to show what one man with a mixture of experience, talent and vision is able to achieve and how important human ingenuity still is for any successful business.

Coming at this from a slightly different angle is IFE specialist Rosen Aviation, our focus in Top Table which, like Boyer, puts its achievements down to offering something a little different.

It believes its focus on the end-user, the people who actually experience their products while flying and not necessarily the needs of the corporate customer, is what sets it apart.

Rosen describes itself as a ‘lone wolf’. Maybe every industry needs some people and companies prepared to break away from the pack to drive innovation and progress.

These are just a few of the highlights I’ve picked out from this edition of ACM. I hope you enjoy reading it.