Scott Hamilton used his final day as a full-fledged participant in Leeham News and Analysis on 31 August 2026 to publish a farewell-style column centred on what he described as disturbing trends at Airbus. The piece frames the communications practices of the Airbus leadership team, including Guillaume Faury and Julie Kitcher, as increasingly distant from veteran aviation reporters and more reliant on influencer-focused messaging.
Hamilton will remain under contract until next July at a reduced level after Howard Hardee took over as editor on 1 July 2026. In the column, he argues that Airbus has become less forthcoming in answering questions, less open to interviews and briefings, and more likely to shape planned presentations as promotional material. He also compares the tone of Airbus communications with Boeing’s older, more opaque culture, while treating the comments as his own assessment rather than an official corporate position.