Global aviation sector wants measures to help restart air travel and protect jobs

8th May 2020

By: Rebecca Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

Font size: - +

The International Air Transport Association (Iata), which is the representative body for the global airline industry, has urged governments to cooperate with the sector to implement confidence-building measures to deal with the expected slow recovery in air passenger demand. National travel restrictions and lockdowns put in place to counter the Covid-19 pandemic have caused air passenger demand to collapse by 80% or more.

“The passenger business came to a halt with unilateral government actions to stop the spread of the virus,” pointed out Iata director-general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac. “The industry restart, however, must be built with trust and collaboration. And it must be guided by the best science we have available.”

Iata commissioned a survey of recent travellers. The results showed that, while 60% expected to resume travelling within one or two months of the containment of the pandemic, 40% reported that they could delay resuming travel for six or more months. Moreover, 69% of respondents said they could delay restarting travelling until they had stabilised their personal financial situations.

“Time is of the essence,” he stressed. “We must start building a framework for a global approach that will give people the confidence that they need to travel once again. And, of course, this will need to be shored up by economic stimulus measures to combat the impact of a recession.”

There were already early indications of a reluctance by people to resume air travel. These came from domestic flight data in Australia and China, two countries where reported new Covid-19 infections had fallen into single-digit figures. (In normal times, domestic flights around the world carry 58% of all air passengers.)

In Australia, the impact of the pandemic caused domestic flights to fall to just 10% of the levels before Covid-19. Despite the fact that the level of new infections had fallen to close to zero, Australian domestic air travel had so far shown no recovery at all. In China, the sharp fall in new infections did see an upswing in domestic air travel from mid- February to early March. But this rise halted and then plateaued at just over 40% of pre-Covid-19 levels.

“In some economies, the spread of Covid-19 has slowed to the point where governments are planning to lift the most severe elements of social distancing restrictions,” noted De Juniac. “But an immediate rebound from the catastrophic fall in passenger demand appears unlikely. People still want to travel. But they are telling us that they want clarity on the economic situation and will likely wait for at least a few months after any ‘all-clear’ before returning to the skies. As countries lift restrictions, confidence boosting measures will be critical to re-start travel and stimulate economies.

This appeal followed not long after a separate joint appeal to governments by Iata and the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) to protect jobs and make certain that air services would continue. They pointed out that airlines were confronted with a liquidity crisis, placing 25-million jobs (directly and indirectly reliant on aviation) at risk worldwide.

“Airlines are facing the most critical period in the history of commercial aviation,” highlighted De Juniac. “Some governments have stepped in to help, and we thank them. But much, much more is needed. Direct financial support is essential to maintain jobs and ensure airlines can remain viable businesses.”

“Iata and ITF have a shared goal to ensure a sustainable future for the aviation industry,” emphasised ITF general secretary Stephen Cotton. “In order to achieve this, we need urgent action now. It is crucial that governments understand the importance of the aviation industry in rebuilding the global economy and support the industry.”

They called on governments to take four main steps to help the sector. The first of these was that priority should be given to the protection of health workers treating those infected with Covid-19. The second and third were to carefully coordinate with each other and with the sector to implement effective harmonised measures to ensure passenger and aircrew safety and to immediately give support to airlines so that the terms and conditions of employment for air transport workers were maintained. The fourth was to aid the sector in restarting operations rapidly by adjusting regulations and ending travel restrictions in a way that was predictable and efficient.

“Bold decisions are required to invest in the future of airlines and protect the jobs and livelihoods of the transport workers who will lead the economic recovery when Covid-19 has been contained,” asserted Cotton. “Workers and the industry have joined forces, we invite more governments to join us in a coordinated approach to keep the industry and its essential supply chains moving.”

“[W]hen the world is ready to start travelling again, the global economy will need aviation at its best to help restore connectivity, tourism and global supply chains,” affirmed De Juniac. “That will require a harmonised approach with industry, workers and governments working together.”

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION