Air Travel, Fighting To Take Flight
The coronavirus pandemic left a scar in aviation but there is still promise in the future of the industry.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, nations closed borders and restricted travel both internationally and domestically. Businesses that relied on travel such as tourism and transport of people were greatly affected — among which is the expensive world of aviation.
From the growing demand in the aviation industry (IATA Aviation Industry Leaders Report 2019), the demand suddenly plunged due to evident health risks of air travel during the pandemic. Some airlines have temporarily paused operations, while some, unfortunately, have decided to stop permanently. Thousands of jobs were lost in a very unpromising time to happen.
Aviation is at a stage of survival, and the future of air travel is looking hazy.
What’s happening now?
Despite the decrease in demand in air travel for people, the demand for air cargo continues to increase. Air cargo service providers are even struggling to meet the volume of goods that needs to be transported, while airlines with airplanes that were built to transport people are now being modified to carry cargo to cater to the need for air freights (A350s become freighters).
Like air cargo, essential air operations such as air ambulance and crop dusting remain unaffected by the pandemic.
In recent months, airlines are slowly starting back operations in line with the re-opening of countries for tourists and businesses. General aviation such as flight training, tourism, and air charter is also resuming to normal operation. Additional rules and precautions have been placed to ensure the health safety of the crew and passengers of these flights.
What will happen?
The pandemic surely left a permanent scar on the people’s attitude towards air travel which means businesses must adapt to this change. There will still be fewer flights than before in the near future until a working vaccine is produced and distributed. (Air traffic will not return to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2024: IATA)
Despite these challenges, I still believe that aviation will bounce back to the demand it had before the pandemic or even higher. Some of the reasons I believe so are as follows:
- The aviation industry has always prioritized safety above everything. Every year, the industry produces research and development that continues to make air travel safer with new systems and technologies, better training and protocols, and more safety audits. (Air Travel is Far Safer Than You Think: Here’s Why)
- Air travel is more efficient in terms of energy used per passenger and time spent in travel compared to other modes of transportation. For a businessman, time is money. The huge difference in time spent on travel, especially for long distances, is a big advantage to businesses. Evidence also shows less carbon footprint per passenger distance in air travel. (This Graphic Maps the Greenest Modes of Transportation)
- Traveling has always been an influential desire for people. (There’s Actually A Scientific Reason You Feel The Urge To Travel)
“Many of us are explorers by nature. We learn new things by visiting new places and enjoy the cultural diversity the world has to offer.
For explorers, traveling is a meaningful action.”
The aviation industry has always had backlash from various groups as with politics, health, and environmental concerns, but somehow, aviation always finds a way to adapt and evolve to satisfy the needs and wants of the world. Recent developments include cleaner emission, more efficient fuel consumption, more environmentally friendly sources of energy such as electric and solar, less vulnerable crashworthy designs, safer means to sanitize, and more.
“Aviation is the Business of Freedom.”
–International Air Transport Association (IATA)
The industry is fighting to take flight but I believe that air travel will bounce back and become stronger than ever. In the long run, aviation will prevail, and it’s going to need our support.
