GENEVA, 12 November 2020: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) issued a joint statement calling for urgent government intervention to prevent an employment catastrophe in the aviation industry.
Estimates from the Air Transport Action Group suggest some 4.8 million aviation workers’ jobs are at risk as a result of air travel demand falling more than 75% (August 2020 compared to August 2019). The impact of COVID-19 related border restrictions and quarantine measures has effectively closed down the aviation industry, grounding planes and leaving infrastructure and aircraft manufacturing capacity idle.
IATA and ITF demands
Provide continued financial support for the aviation industry.
Safely re-open borders without quarantine by implementing a globally harmonized system of pre-departure COVID-19 testing.
“Aviation faces an unprecedented employment catastrophe. Airlines have cut costs to the bone, but have just 8.5 months of cash left under current conditions. Tens of thousands of jobs have already been lost, and unless governments provide more financial relief, these are likely to increase to the hundreds of thousands,” said IATA’s director general and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac.
Aviation plays an essential role in connecting nations and carrying essential cargo, and it is in governments’ own interests to offer further financial aid to keep the industry viable. But more importantly, governments need to work together to safely re-open borders. That means putting in place a global scheme for testing passengers for Covid-19. With that in place, quarantine can be removed and passengers can have the confidence to fly again.”
In addition to re-opening borders with testing and financial support, the organizations also called for governments to develop a roadmap for long-term industry recovery including investment in workforce retraining and upskilling, and in green technologies, especially sustainable aviation fuels.
“The ability and speed that countries recover from Covid-19, is closely linked to the recovery of global air connectivity,” said the joint statement. “Government intervention and investment, therefore, must not just provide support for the air transport industry now but also to ensure that it is fit for purpose and able to support the world’s return to normality from the pandemic.”
