Business and leisure travellers are waiting for just one thing: to board a plane again, and governments must quickly take the necessary measures to allow them to do so. This is the message sent by IATA through the publication of a survey carried out at the mid-February with 4700 passengersin 11 countries including France.
According to figures published by the International Air Transport Association, the majority of respondents (57%) plan to travel in the two months following the "containment of COVID-19". This is a significant increase on the previous survey carried out in September (49%). For IATANow it's a question of review restrictions put in place over the last few months to striking a viable balance between health management and the need for mobility. A out of two travellers (49%) believe that restrictions on air travel have gone too far. And 68% of those surveyed deplore the impact of travel restrictions on their quality of life. In this respect, more than a third of those questioned (36%) pointed to the impossibility of doing business normally due to a lack of air mobility. This disincentive to business travel is likely to persist, with 62% of those surveyed expecting to travel less for business after the crisis. The figure reached 72% in September.
It is becoming clear that we will have to learn to live and travel in a world where COVID-19 is present.
On the strength of these results, IATA's CEO is calling for a recovery plan that reconciles air mobility and health safety as soon as possible: " Everyone's top priority right now is to stay safe in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. But it is important that we find a way to reopen the borders, manage the risks and allow everyone to get on with their lives. This includes the freedom to travel. It is becoming clear that we will have to learn to live and travel in a world where COVID-19 is present. "says Alexandre de Juniac.
This observation is widely shared by travellers, if the figures published by IATA are to be believed: 84% of those questioned consider that " COVID-19 will not disappear and we must manage its risks while living and travelling normally ". For many, the vaccine will be the solution. As a result, 81% travellers will be more inclined to travel once they have been vaccinated.
For many, the lifting - or at least the easing - of restrictions on international mobility is becoming imperative from an economic point of view. According to IATA figures, 88% of those surveyed believe that the right balance needs to be struck between managing health risks and boosting the economy by opening up borders. A point also highlighted by Alexandre de Juniac. For the head of IATA, time is running out and all those involved must be in the starting-blocks to get back on track as soon as possible. Given the health, social and economic costs of travel restrictions, airlines should be ready to reconnect the world as soon as governments are able to reopen borders. That's why a plan with measurable milestones is so important. Without such a plan, how can we be ready to restart without unnecessary delay? "says Alexandre de Juniac.
