Page 6 - World Airnews Magazine June 2020 Edition

FLAREPATH

SEEKING SOLUTIONS

By Heidi Gibson

ternational trade dried up – no tour buses, pre-packaged food and drink during the

no enquires. They are trying to attract the flight to limit contact.

he efforts being put in by interna- domestic market back in this time but it’s a The suggestion that the removal of the
Tti onal aviati on organisati ons and tough call. middle seat will help with social distancing

corporate companies to find a solution Response to this call has been received is being rejected across all sectors - the

to the Co-Vid 19 crisis and the return of from international banks such as the break-even load factor is so low in airlines
that this would just lead to fares being
international travel behind the scenes must African Development Bank and the Islamic increased and that would definitely deter

be enormous. Development Bank, as well as the African demand for international travel.

Union but much, much more is needed.

Every week the International Air Trans- The second issue to raise its head recent-

port Association hosts webinars providing The recovery of international travel and ly was the question of vouchers.

insight, metrics and data about the global the move by some European governments Under regulation EU 261 Europe’s air-

situation, constantly analysing the situation to impose quarantine measures as a way to lines will need to return around 9.2 billion

trying to chart these unprecedented times re-introduce safe travel was rejected by IATA. Euros for cancelled flights through to the

and move us forward. It is obvious, if you think about it, who end of May.

I take my hat off to IATA director general would plan a trip to Spain and then have to This regulation was not designed to deal

Alexandre de Juniac and Brian Pearce IATA quarantine for two weeks when you return? with mass cancellations and IATA is appeal-

chief economist who field questions across No safety is the industry’s main priority. ing to the EC for flexibility that would en-

the spectrum from journalists around the IATA is proposing a risk-based layered able airlines to issue refundable vouchers
world. Sometimes they have to repeat them- approach to bio-security, co-ordinated - or delayed re-imbursements.

selves but they never ever let the side down. across the globe. The arriving country must
Airlines need to preserve some precious

Recently IATA and four other organisa- be confident of the procedures in place at cash reserves otherwise there won’t be

tions made a collective call for international the departing airport. Travellers need the one when the time comes for the person to

aid to assist the travel and tourism industry re-assurance of common measures from de- take that flight.

in Africa. It was a call sorely needed and parture to arrival and also during the flight.
“If the airlines run out of cash people

should be shouted from the rooftops. IATA wants a single common system that will lose their jobs, airlines could fail and
“We are urgently appealing to global fi- can be implemented across all sectors in the there would be negative fallout across the

nancial institutions, economic development short term. It must be efficient and safe. travel and tourism value chain. There is no

agencies and donors to support Africa’s “We are proposing there are temperature public policy benefit in that. Airlines drive

travel and tourism industry, which has been checks and other measures at departure business and link economies. Re-starting

decimated by Covid-19 and its associated to keep symptomatic travellers from flying. economies with an even more hobbled

travel restrictions. Robust government managed system of air transport sector is akin to boxing in

“The industry, which supports millions of health declarations and rigorous contact the fight of a lifetime with one hand tied

livelihoods, contributes (US) $169bn to Afri- tracing can manage the risk from asymp- behind your back.

ca’s economy - representing 7.1% of its GDP tomatic travellers,” said de Juniac. Ultimately the recovery of the industry will

- desperately requires about (US) $10bn in One of these measures could include require, amongst others, two key elements
the way of relief,” said De Juniac. – trust and technology – amongst others.
The request was made by IATA, the UN As SITA CEO Barbara Dalibard said, “We

World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the see changes to the passenger journey,
World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), tighter controls at borders, and demand

the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) from airlines for greater bandwidth to share

and the Airlines Association of Southern more data in a secure way and make airport
Africa (AASA). and aircraft operations more cost effective.

I have friends who own a game farm in This is a journey we will undertake with our
northern KZN and I shudder to think how airline, airport and government customers in
they are going to last, as overnight, their in- the coming months.” Q
World Airnews | June 2020
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