As airports across the world brace for a drastic reduction in passenger throughput, capital expenditure has come under increased pressure. While some European airports have taken advantage of the quieter skies to carry out major works, in the UK the opposite has been true. Nevertheless, any activity is likely to be short term leaving the construction and engineering sector in need of an outlet to survive.

"We were primed for adventure. We valued our freedom more highly than we valued our safety or our income. Perhaps that same spirit will have to return to the culture before we can enter a new Golden Age of space exploration" - Don Eyles, Apollo Guidance Software Engineer

While aerospace powers forward in technological advancement, construction slumbers through digital adoption. But in that cavernous gap lies an opportunity to bring aerospace-style thinking into a non-aerospace world. All it requires is persistence and the ability to demonstrate value for money.

In deciding which companies to provide financial assistance to, retaining a belief in free market economics might need to be put on hold, temporarily, if only for the sake of society and society alone.

"Give me a one-handed economist. All my economists say, 'on the one hand...', then 'but on the other...' ", opined President Harry S. Truman. Admitting that you don't know is as honest an assessment as anyone can make. Will we return to normal or will there be a new normal? The truth is, no one really knows what will happen when the aviation industry gets back on its feet.

We've seen the photos. We've marvelled at their perfect alignment – an almost biologically ordered arrangement of aluminium on “tarmac”. But the rush to store the redundant aircraft of the COVID-19 pandemic may churn up some challenging infrastructure issues when the time comes to bring these airliners out from hibernation.

Although attention will always be on the high-profile names in the airline business, a damaged aviation sector is at risk of hurting those that keep it running and plan for its future successes.