IATA director normal, Alain de Juniac, has provided his first Covid-19 briefing for 2021 and referred to as for presidency to deal with reopening borders to worldwide aviation
Earlier than we get into discussing the virus, I want to prolong the sympathies of the trade to the households and family members of those that misplaced their lives within the tragic Sriwijaya Air crash over the weekend. Security is aviation’s primary precedence and our best success. Due to that, accidents are uncommon. Once they do occur, it’s a reminder that we must not ever take security without any consideration. Our repute for security is one thing that we earn every day and with every flight. And, on the very uncommon events when issues do go fallacious, we examine, and we enhance.
Airways deliver this identical critical method to security to all the pieces that we do – together with Covid-19. And that is likely one of the explanation why the sluggish tempo of progress within the disaster is so irritating. We’re working tirelessly with governments to maintain flying protected and scale back the chance of Covid-19 importation by way of journey with the implementation of the ICAO CART suggestions proposals to interchange quarantine with Covid-19 testing. However the trade’s scenario remains to be perilous.
In actual fact, it bought worse over the year-end vacation interval.
Whereas we nonetheless see airways turning money constructive inside the yr, the near-term image is bleak. As an alternative of a lift from the year-end vacation interval, we bought much more restrictions. Governments tightened borders in a knee-jerk response to a virus mutation. Canada, UK, Germany, Japan and others added testing to their Covid-19 measures with out eradicating quarantine necessities. In different phrases, they’ve chosen coverage measures that can shut down journey.
This method tells us that these governments usually are not concerned about managing a balanced method to the dangers of Covid-19. They look like aiming for a zero-Covid world.
That is an not possible job that comes with extreme penalties – the complete extent of which it will be not possible to calculate. However, with this method, we all know for certain that:
- The journey and tourism financial system is not going to get well.
- Jobs will proceed to vanish.
- The lockdown’s toll on folks’s psychological well being will proceed to develop – notably on those that are separated from family members.
A extra balanced public coverage method is required – one that’s based mostly on testing as a substitute for quarantines in order that we are able to start addressing the extreme side-effects of Covid-19 insurance policies.
Science tells us that travellers is not going to be a big consider group transmission if testing is used successfully. However most governments have tunnel-vision on quarantine and are in no way targeted on discovering methods to securely re-open borders – or alleviate the self-imposed financial and psychological well being hardships of the lockdowns.
There was some excellent news over the vacations. We continued to organize for the day that governments are able to open borders – with testing or with vaccinations. The primary pilot of the IATA Journey Move app was launched in partnership with Singapore Airways on routes to Kuala Lumpur and to Jakarta. We’re nonetheless on observe for a full rollout of the app through the first quarter of this yr.
I’ll conclude by repeating a quote from the UN secretary normal, Antonio Guterres. He emphasised the pressing must re-start flying by saying: “Aviation is a crucial engine of our world and can play a vital position in lifting the world to restoration from COVID-19. Allow us to guarantee it receives the help it must hold the world’s nations linked and united.”
The help begins with constant, well-reasoned, scientifically supported insurance policies to handle the dangers of COVID-19 and journey.
That’s the antithesis of what we witnessed over the vacation interval. Our high precedence for 2021 is to alter that!
Extra Data
For extra from the Worldwide Air Transport Affiliation head over to the official website.
