Sponsored Listings:
The COVID-19 crisis will put 25 million air travel jobs at risk worldwide in the scenario of severe travel restrictions lasting for three months, according to a statement released by the International Air Transport Association (Iata).
This translates to a loss of 38% of the 65.5 million livelihoods dependent on the aviation industry, including sectors such as travel and tourism.
The majority of the impact will be felt in Asia-pacific where 11.2 million jobs are at risk. Closer to home, Iata says two million jobs in Africa are endangered.
“We don’t want to repeat the mistakes made after 9/11 when many new processes were imposed in an unco-ordinated way. We ended up with a mess of measures that we are still sorting out today. The 25 million people whose jobs are at risk by this crisis will depend on an efficient restart of the industry,” says Alexandre de Juniac, Iata’s dg and ceo.
An industry reboot, once the pandemic is contained, will require airlines to plan ahead. On a practical level, De Juniac stresses the need for contingencies for licences and certifications that have expired as well as the adaptation of operational processes to avoid reinfections via imported cases.
Iata will host a series of virtual meetings or summits on a regional basis, bringing together governments and industry stakeholders. Summit dates are being confirmed in the expectation of a start before the end of April.
Source: tourismupdate.co.za