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Airline body seeks the restoration of international connectivity

11th September 2020

By: Rebecca Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

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The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has urged governments around the world to work together to reopen borders and restore global connectivity. The association, which is the representative body for the global airline industry, also called on governments to continue to support airlines through the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.

“Protecting their citizens must be the top priority of governments,” stated Iata director-general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac. “But too many governments are fighting a global pandemic in isolation with a view that closing borders is the only solution. It’s time for governments to work together to implement measures that will enable economic and social life to resume, while controlling the spread of the virus.”

This appeal followed the confirmation that this year’s peak northern hemisphere travel season had been “disappointing” owing to quarantines, travel restrictions and closed borders. Passenger air travel in July saw only “minimal improvements” over the figures for May and June. July air passenger traffic was 79.8% down on the figure for July 2019. For international air passenger traffic, the year-on-year drop in July was even more severe – 91.9%.

“Airlines have been largely grounded for a half-year,” he highlighted. “And the situation is not improving. In fact, in many cases it is going in the wrong direction. We see governments replacing border closures with quarantine for air travellers. Neither will restore travel or jobs. Worse, governments are changing the entry requirements with little notice to travellers or coordination with their trading partners. This uncertainty destroys demand. Ten per cent of the global economy is sustained by travel and tourism; governments need to do better to re-start it.”

Iata pointed out that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao), with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO), had already developed protocols, called Take-Off Guidance, to allow the safe resumption of air travel, worldwide. (Icao and the WHO are both specialised agencies of the United Nations.) These protocols covered the entire air passenger journey and recommended measures to keep passengers safe and reduce the risk of countries importing new cases of Covid-19. Iata was urging governments to implement the Take-Off Guidance, while also suggesting the creation of ‘travel bubbles’ between designated markets, and was expecting much greater and better use of Covid-19 testing as that technology improved in speed and accuracy.

“No government wants to import Covid-19. Equally, no government should want to see the economic hardships and associated health impacts of mass unemployment,” he affirmed. “Successfully getting through this crisis requires careful risk management with effective measures. If government policies focus on enabling a safe restart, aviation is well-prepared to deliver. Risk management is a well-developed discipline that airlines rely on to keep travel safe and secure.”

Regarding continuing support for airlines, Iata pointed out that, outside of some domestic markets, there was not much evidence of a recovery in the sector. So, the association called for both financial and regulatory support for airlines. On the financial side, government relief had been a crucial lifeline for many companies; the industry as a whole faced a loss of $84.3-billion this year, with a revenue cut of 50%, yet had high fixed costs (aircraft and staff). But that relief was coming to an end and needed to be extended.

“Many airlines will not have the financial means to survive an indefinite shutdown that, for many, already exceeds a half-year,” stressed De Juniac. “In these extraordinary times, governments will need to continue with financial and other relief measures to the greatest extent possible. It’s a solid investment in the recovery because each airline job saved supports 24 in the broader economy. And a functioning airline industry will be a critical enabler for economies to regain their full power.”

On the regulatory side, the most immediate concern was an extension of waivers regarding use-it-or-lose-it slot rules. (Airlines have designated take-off and landing ‘slots’ at airports for their aircraft.) Some countries had already extended these waivers to March 2021, but the European Commission had not yet done so.

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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