Page 8 - World Airnews Magazine August 2020

IATA
URGENT GOVERNMENT AID
IS NEEDED
By Heidi Gibson
irlines in Africa will lose (US) $42 for every passenger they
Acarry in 2020 with a similar situati on arising in the Middle
East – losses are (US) $37 for every passenger carried this year.
These shocking statistics were revealed by IATA regional vice
president for African and the Middle East Muhammed Ali Albakri
who recently gave a press briefing on the two regions.
“Our indications are the situation has worsened and it doesn’t
look like it is going to get better quickly - unless governments step
in and help,” Albakri said.
IATA data shows that in southern Africa, passenger numbers are
down by 58% and revenue by 60%. In east Africa numbers were
down by 53% and revenues by 56% and the same level of percent-
ages are reflected in west and north of Africa.
“It’s a bad situation and it’s getting worse. We have to have ways
to reverse this cycle. It is detrimental to African nations in terms of
GDP and it is starting to affect people’s lives,” he said.
In the Middle East the situation is similar. In the GCC and Levant
regions passenger numbers are down 54% and 5% respectively. For
every passenger ME airlines will carry they will lose (US) $37.
“As we enter the summer season this is supposed to be the high
season but aircrafts remain grounded and borders remain closed.
Countries have started to open but are putting in place restrictive
measures that are preventing people from travelling,” he said.
Governments need to find a balance between protecting the
health and safety of passengers, while opening up borders and
rebuilding their economies.
Albakri called on African and ME governments to put aside their
differences and not play politics with this situation by only allowing
in passengers from certain countries.
More importantly he said, governments must also stop adding
more costs to air travel.
“Recently I have heard of many examples where governments
are adding more taxes. For example Air Seychelles just added a
(US) $50 health tax for arriving passengers and Nigeria doubled
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IATA
their facilitation charges for passengers arriving to (US) $100. In
Lebanon some airlines are charging airlines (US) $100 for Covid-19
tests for arriving passengers . This is not going to help restore the
industry. This is not going to encourage people to travel,” he said.
A recent survey showed that travellers are as concerned about catch-
ing the virus while travelling as they are about having to quarantine.
“At present 40% of the countries in the world that have imposed
quarantine measures are in Africa and the Middle East – that is 36
countries. For a region that needs travel and tourism that needs
connection more than any other region this is not going to encour-
age people to travel.
“AME has the highest number of countries in the world with
government-imposed quarantine measures on arriving passengers.
The region is effectively in complete lockdown with the travel and
tourism sector shuttered. This is detrimental in a region where 8.6
million people depend on aviation for their livelihoods,” Albakri said.
So what needs to happen?
Albakri said organisations such as the World Health Organisa-
tion, ICAO and IATA have come up with a set of measures and
recommendations which should be applied will reduce the risk of
contracting and spreading the virus.
He said IATA is encouraging governments to educate travellers
and really at the heart of this is simply that travellers who are not
feeling well should not travel.
He said other measures and guidelines as outlined in the ICAO
CART / Take-Off strategy is what governments and health officials
should use when reopening borders.
As far as testing is concerned the matter is more complicated by
what type should be used, who should pay for it.
Countries encourage countries to use the technology for contacting Muhammed Ali Albakri
tracing as an effective measure that can help should anyone contract
the disease. This will help to contact the person so that they can iso- lief but it is not enough and the organisation is still waiting to hear
late and this mitigates against the need for quarantine measures. how much will go to help African airlines.
He emphasised that government should apply the same the set He said about (US) $120 billion has been raised to assist airlines
of standards, work together with public health department and around the world and about (US) $800 000 million for African air-
apply those vigorously as outlined by the CART take off strategy lines but this is not enough given the size of the continent and the
while the world is getting over this crisis. number of airlines affected.
The lockdown is having a huge negative financial effect and many He said it still remained unclear where money pledged by the African
airlines will not survive this without government relief. Locking Union and the Development Bank to assist African airlines would go.
down nations and a continent is not a long term solution. This is an “If anything this crisis has demonstrated the importance of
abnormal situation. We have to find ways to re-ignite travel while connectivity and air travel around the world. The challenges faced
protecting the health and safety of all concerned, he said. in Africa are not unique to Africa they are the same all over the
Albakri said that IATA had written to a number of development world,” he said. Q
agencies and international donors had received some financial re-
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