Mark Kammer, director of operations at Dynamic Advanced Training, a Khansaheb Investments company.
Time flies, one-and-a-half years into the pandemic and it is still difficult to comprehend how difficult Covid-19 has been to the aviation industry and the effects it has had on the aviation market across the globe.
It started off with airspace closure, to global quarantine measures, border restrictions and emerging variants. All have placed financial strain on airlines.
Despite intense vaccination campaigns across the globe, as of June 2021, only approximately 22 percent of the world’s population have received or elected to receive at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccination. The roll-out has been highly inequitable with high-income countries leading the charts.
Although vaccinations do not offer absolute protection, there is strong scientific evidence that the efficacy of the vaccination is substantial and able to prevent serious illness and death. As Covid-19 becomes part of our daily life, countries will need to adapt a risk-based approach, no longer avoiding it but rather managing it instead.
Realisation has set in that there is no perfect equilibrium. Finding a balance itself is a journey and not a destination.
UAE leads the road to recovery
The UAE’s aviation sector has been at the forefront of a global campaign to restore vital international air services by advocating quarantine-free corridors between the country and multiple destinations across the globe.
In agreement with aviation experts such as Dubai Airports CEO, Paul Griffiths, we see no alternative to a vaccine passport being rolled out which will have a significant positive impact on restarting mass foreign travel.
The UAE has some of the best airports in the world and they have been quick to adopt new digital technology.
Digital transformation has become an important agenda across all governments. The UAE has some of the best airports in the world and they have been quick to adopt new digital technology, to vastly increase airport efficiency and customer satisfaction. A testament to this is the adoption of the Emirates ID card being linked to the Dubai Health Authority’s Covid-19 medical records, which in effect is the same principle behind IATA’s travel pass.
In addition, it has also just been announced that Dubai International Airport will be home to a 2,000sqm in-house laboratory capable of processing up to 100,000 PCR rapid tests per day. These measures, while noteworthy on their own, are only the tip of the iceberg of measures required to relaunch global aviation and kickstart the global economy.
How to ensure airlines are ready for travel in a post-Covid world
The shared goal in aviation is for every flight to take off and land again safely, which is achieved through rigorous training and certification across all sectors of air and ground operations.
Once aircrew have not flown for a certain period, their minimum acceptable competency standards are negatively affected. To mitigate this skill decay, it is necessary to re-train aircrew and the task of certifying them to fly again takes time and money.
Money is scarce after airlines received massive government support, and loans need to be repaid. Most airlines in the foreseeable future will continue to haemorrhage cash due to initially low load factors on certain routes. Not only this, most airlines had no choice but to make large parts of their staff redundant and will need to recruit and train new staff, which takes even more time and even more money.
Many airlines do not have their own training facilities or have restricted capacity to train their staff.
As a result, operators will be under intense pressure as the ramp up of costs will inevitably accelerate faster than the eventual ramp up of revenues when the travel flood gates open.
Many airlines do not have their own training facilities or have restricted capacity to train their staff. A viable and effective solution would be to outsource some training to meet their ever-changing operational needs in a timely and effective manner while benefitting from the flexibility of only needing to pay for training when required. This will enable airlines to focus their cashflow on their core business and attract more customers to increase revenue by offering a superior product.
Consumers will shape the return to travel
In terms of consumer trends, low-cost carriers are likely to increase their market share or open new routes to and from the Middle East with the entrance of players such as Wizz Air and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi. Another trend likely to be successful is the introduction of premium economy seats by national carriers for customers looking for more comfort and space between seats.
In conclusion, it is difficult for one to predict how the return of air travel may take place and is likely to remain volatile. However, airlines must not stay idle and wait as the rebound may be quicker than anticipated and must be prepared to meet demand as the world begins to normalise.
There is hope that with the rollout of the vaccination, airlines will go back to operating at levels that are similar to pre Covid-19, and training staff will be a key component of their return strategy.
Mark Kammer, director of operations at Dynamic Advanced Training, a Khansaheb Investments company.
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More of this topic
The path to safely rebooting air travel
As Covid-19 becomes part of our daily life, countries will need to adapt a risk-based approach, no longer avoiding it but rather managing it instead
Mark Kammer, director of operations at Dynamic Advanced Training, a Khansaheb Investments company.
Time flies, one-and-a-half years into the pandemic and it is still difficult to comprehend how difficult Covid-19 has been to the aviation industry and the effects it has had on the aviation market across the globe.
It started off with airspace closure, to global quarantine measures, border restrictions and emerging variants. All have placed financial strain on airlines.
Despite intense vaccination campaigns across the globe, as of June 2021, only approximately 22 percent of the world’s population have received or elected to receive at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccination. The roll-out has been highly inequitable with high-income countries leading the charts.
Although vaccinations do not offer absolute protection, there is strong scientific evidence that the efficacy of the vaccination is substantial and able to prevent serious illness and death. As Covid-19 becomes part of our daily life, countries will need to adapt a risk-based approach, no longer avoiding it but rather managing it instead.
Realisation has set in that there is no perfect equilibrium. Finding a balance itself is a journey and not a destination.
UAE leads the road to recovery
The UAE’s aviation sector has been at the forefront of a global campaign to restore vital international air services by advocating quarantine-free corridors between the country and multiple destinations across the globe.
In agreement with aviation experts such as Dubai Airports CEO, Paul Griffiths, we see no alternative to a vaccine passport being rolled out which will have a significant positive impact on restarting mass foreign travel.
Digital transformation has become an important agenda across all governments. The UAE has some of the best airports in the world and they have been quick to adopt new digital technology, to vastly increase airport efficiency and customer satisfaction. A testament to this is the adoption of the Emirates ID card being linked to the Dubai Health Authority’s Covid-19 medical records, which in effect is the same principle behind IATA’s travel pass.
In addition, it has also just been announced that Dubai International Airport will be home to a 2,000sqm in-house laboratory capable of processing up to 100,000 PCR rapid tests per day. These measures, while noteworthy on their own, are only the tip of the iceberg of measures required to relaunch global aviation and kickstart the global economy.
How to ensure airlines are ready for travel in a post-Covid world
The shared goal in aviation is for every flight to take off and land again safely, which is achieved through rigorous training and certification across all sectors of air and ground operations.
Once aircrew have not flown for a certain period, their minimum acceptable competency standards are negatively affected. To mitigate this skill decay, it is necessary to re-train aircrew and the task of certifying them to fly again takes time and money.
Money is scarce after airlines received massive government support, and loans need to be repaid. Most airlines in the foreseeable future will continue to haemorrhage cash due to initially low load factors on certain routes. Not only this, most airlines had no choice but to make large parts of their staff redundant and will need to recruit and train new staff, which takes even more time and even more money.
As a result, operators will be under intense pressure as the ramp up of costs will inevitably accelerate faster than the eventual ramp up of revenues when the travel flood gates open.
Many airlines do not have their own training facilities or have restricted capacity to train their staff. A viable and effective solution would be to outsource some training to meet their ever-changing operational needs in a timely and effective manner while benefitting from the flexibility of only needing to pay for training when required. This will enable airlines to focus their cashflow on their core business and attract more customers to increase revenue by offering a superior product.
Consumers will shape the return to travel
In terms of consumer trends, low-cost carriers are likely to increase their market share or open new routes to and from the Middle East with the entrance of players such as Wizz Air and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi. Another trend likely to be successful is the introduction of premium economy seats by national carriers for customers looking for more comfort and space between seats.
In conclusion, it is difficult for one to predict how the return of air travel may take place and is likely to remain volatile. However, airlines must not stay idle and wait as the rebound may be quicker than anticipated and must be prepared to meet demand as the world begins to normalise.
There is hope that with the rollout of the vaccination, airlines will go back to operating at levels that are similar to pre Covid-19, and training staff will be a key component of their return strategy.
Mark Kammer, director of operations at Dynamic Advanced Training, a Khansaheb Investments company.
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