International Air Transportation Association director general Willie Walsh is optimistic in his global airlines forecast on Monday. IATA, representing almost 300 airlines, said that the global airline industry is expected to lose around $12 billion by next year. It means cutting the losses of the industry by 78% from this year.
Willie Walsh said during IATA’s annual meeting in Boston that “We are past the deepest point of the crisis”. He added that “While serious issues remain, the path to recovery is coming into view”.
According to the group’s projection, the industry will return to profitability by 2023. The group expects total passenger numbers to jump to 3.4 billion by next year from 2.3 billion this year.
IATA Calls to Simplify Travel Restrictions and Lift Travel Rules
Walsh calls for the governments to simplify the travel rules and lift international restrictions to help the aviation industry. With the availability of vaccines, improved knowledge, and data about COVID19, he said that “the idea that the measures we put in place February 2020 are relevant today is a nonsense”.
He added that “Travel restrictions are a complex and confusing web of rules with very little consistency among them”. Walsh also wants fully vaccinated individuals to travel free from testing and other restrictions.
Borders are Slowly Reopening
The Biden administration announced last month that they are going to lift their ban on international visitors by November. However, the White House hasn’t revealed an exact date yet.
The UK, on the other hand, scrapped its traffic light system on Monday. The UK government also loosened its testing rules for vaccinated travelers. Despite the changes made by the UK, Walsh criticized the UK government. He said that “Of the 3 million arrivals between February and August, only 42,000 tested positive”. He continued saying that it’s equivalent to an average of less than 250 a day.
Walsh also mentioned that mask-wearing on board flights shouldn’t be mandatory for an extended period. He compared it to the redundant security measures brought by the 9/11 terror attacks. He said that “We shouldn’t have measures in place a day longer than needed”.
