The aviation sector is dying and its resuscitation is being prevented by lack government support and co-operation.
Lack of co-operation between governments is stymieing the restart of commercial air travel amid the coronavirus pandemic, potentially causing “irreparable demand to global connectivity”. IATA says.
IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac, when reflecting on a bleak set of figures for July passenger traffic lamented that while governments had worked together to set guidelines for the ramping-up of air travel, that co-operation has ended when it comes to implementing the restart of services.
De Juniac stated that 90 percent of international flying has ceased. “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 rebuild the confidence to travel".
”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. He added.
De Juniac cautions that if this continues, ”the damage to global connectivity could become irreparable”, with “severe consequences” for economies and public health.
IATA’s latest figures for passenger travel in July show that passenger traffic was 80 percent down compared to the same month in 2019.
“Airlines have been largely grounded for a half-year,” de Juniac said. “And the situation is not improving. As a matter of fact, in many cases, it is going in the wrong direction. We see governments replacing border closures with quarantine for air travelers. Neither will restore travel or jobs. Worse, governments are changing the entry requirements with little notice to travelers or coordination with their trading partners.
“This uncertainty destroys demand. 10 percent of the global economy is sustained by travel and tourism; governments need to do better to restart it.”
IATA also suggests that with state-support schemes coming to an end around the world, the airline industry is likely to need a second injection of financial help amid the weak demand recovery.
Credit: Flightglobal
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