Thank you for joining the weekly briefing call again this week.
Today I want to share with you a declaration from our Board of Governors. IATA has some 290 members. The CEO’s of 31 of those members are elected to serve on our Board. And they have come together to with a united voice in a declaration of five key principles for the eventual re-start of aviation.
Let me read them out for you:
1. Aviation will always put safety and security first: Airlines commit to work with our partners in governments, institutions and across the industry to:
- Implement a science-based biosecurity regime that will keep our passengers and crew safe while enabling efficient operations.
- Ensure that aviation is not a meaningful source for the spread of communicable diseases, including COVID-19.
2. Aviation will respond flexibly as the crisis and science evolve: Airlines commit to work with our partners in governments, institutions and across the industry to:
- Utilize new science and technology as it becomes available, for example, reliable, scalable and efficient solutions for COVID-19 testing or immunity passports.
- Develop a predictable and effective approach to managing any future border closures or mobility restrictions.
- Ensure that measures are scientifically supported, economically sustainable, operationally viable, continuously reviewed, and removed/replaced when no longer necessary.
3. Aviation will be a key driver of the economic recovery: Airlines commit to work with our partners in governments, institutions and across the industry to:
- Re-establish capacity that can meet the demands of the economic recovery as quickly as possible.
- Ensure that affordable air transport will be available in the post-pandemic period.
4. Aviation will meet its environment targets: Airlines commit to work with our partners in governments, institutions and across the industry to:
- Achieve our long-term goal of cutting net carbon emissions to half of 2005 levels by 2050.
- Successfully implement the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA).
5. Aviation will operate to global standards which are harmonized and mutually recognized by governments: Airlines commit to work with our partners in governments, institutions and across the industry to:
- Establish the global standards necessary for an effective re-start of aviation, particularly drawing on strong partnerships with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
- Ensure that agreed measures are effectively implemented and mutually recognized by governments.
This declaration is important because it demonstrates the industry’s unit of purpose and commitment to work with our stakeholders to safely re-connect our world.
We hope that it will send a strong message to governments that they must also work together. COVID-19 is a global health crisis and a global economic crisis. Aviation is the crossroads of both.
It is critically important that aviation re-start operations in a safe way. Shortly my colleague Nick Careen, Senior Vice President for Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security will explain the passenger experience in our proposal to safely restart operations.
The re-start will go much more smoothly if governments cooperate. As I have said before, we must avoid the mess that followed 9.11 when governments acted unilaterally. This created confusion for airlines and travelers alike. And it took many years to clean-up.
We have a small window to avoid these mistakes with COVID-19 by agreeing global standards for a re-start. In doing so, we must build-in measures for continuous review so that we can streamline the system as science and technology evolve.
There is reason to be optimistic. The International Civil Aviation Organization is leading an initiative called CART. That is the COVID-19 Aviation Recovery Task Force. And it is working well and fast. Our proposals are in support of that process.
If we are successful in a smooth re-start for aviation that will pay big benefits in solving the economic dimension of the COVID-19 challenge. The shape and size of the industry may change as a result of this crisis. But aviation will remain a critical support for vast sectors of the economy. The sooner we can safely reconnect the world, the more jobs can be saved. And, combined with economic stimulus packages, a reconnected world will be a solid foundation for economic recovery.
With that, I will turn it over to Nick to talk about a layered approach of biosecurity measures for the safe re-start of flying.
Media Briefing Recording: Listen to the teleconference (mp3)
