The International Air Transport Association (Iata) is calling on governments to work together to urgently find ways to re-establish air travel while controlling the spread of Covid-19.
The association reported that total July 2020 traffic was 79.8% below 2019 levels and international traffic in July 2020 was 91.9% below 2019.
Alexandre de Juniac, Iata’s director general and chief executive, said: “Protecting their citizens must be the top priority of governments. 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.”
Iata is urging governments to reopen borders, continue relief measures for the industry and show ‘global leadership’.
The body, which represents 290 airlines, said governments should adopt restart guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), which it says covers all aspects of the passenger journey to keep travellers safe and reduce the risk of importing infection.
“Airlines have been largely grounded for a half-year. And the situation is not improving,” said de Juniac. “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 percent of the global economy is sustained by travel and tourism; governments need to do better to re-start it.”
Iata is proposing ‘travel bubbles’ to mitigate risks between specific markets and foresees a much wider and strategic use of Covid-19 testing as technology improves accuracy, speed and scalability.
“No government wants to import Covid-19,” added de Juniac. “Equally, no government should want to see the economic hardships and associated health impacts of mass unemployment. Successfully getting through this crisis requires careful risk-management with effective measures. If government policies focus on enabling a safe re-start, aviation is well-prepared to deliver. Risk-management is a well-developed discipline that airlines rely on to keep travel safe and secure.”
De Juniac said supporting aviation will help save jobs in other industries as he called for governments to give relief measures.
“Many airlines will not have the financial means to survive an indefinite shutdown that, for many, already exceeds a half-year,” he said. “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.”
He said it was “critical” governments to offer “additional financial buffers against failure” which do not increase debt, and called on a relaxation of the use it or lose it 80:20 slot rule so airlines can adjust schedules without being penalised.
De Juniac said the European Commission (EC) had been “far more optimistic than industry scenarios” when it predicted traffic will restore to between 75% and 85% of February 2020 levels this winter.
“The European Commission’s delay in granting a full-season waiver of the 80-20 slot rule for the Northern Hemisphere winter season is bad for everyone,” he added. “Airlines and airports will scramble while consumer uncertainty will only increase. As the Commission returns from its summer activities, granting a full-season waiver should be at the top of the aviation priority list.”
As he called on governments to show ‘global leadership’, de Juniac said: “Governments have cooperated to set the guidelines for a safe re-start of aviation. But they have not cooperated to actually make a re-start happen. That’s why 90% of international flying has stopped.
“The demand is there. When borders open without quarantine, people fly. But there is too much uncertainty in how governments are managing the situation for passengers to re-build the confidence to travel.
“In fact, what is killing aviation is the fact that governments are not managing the risks of opening borders. Instead, they are keeping global mobility effectively in lockdown. And if this continues, the damage to global connectivity could become irreparable which will generate its own severe consequences for economies and public health.
“The global protocols for safely re-starting aviation are agreed and no industry is as experienced in successfully implementing global safety programs as aviation. But we need governments to take on the leadership to manage risks and adopt a mindset of not being defeated by this virus. Then, with testing, technology, science and determination we can re-open borders and get the world moving again.”