More than three months into the pandemic, the future of air travel remains uncertain
This will include over 100 aircraft being grounded for up to 12 months the Group's workforce reduced by 6,000 (pre-COVID total was above 30,000) and the 'stand down' of 15,000 employees, mostly those associated with international operations.The Australian government supports companies and employees affected by the pandemic.
Some domestic flying is subsidised by the federal government, and employees who have been 'stood down' are paid a minimum wage by the state. This is a fraction of what their pre-COVID salaries were, of course, especially in the case of pilots and other professionals but it is enough to ensure they do not need to dip into their savings.
Domestic flying shows some promiseAustralia, with its vast landmass and widely dispersed population centres, is confident that domestic travel will remain robust. This is despite the fact that infections continue to rise in its two main cities,
The
(See given table). But if the pandemic continues to rage unchecked, this may not be sustainable.
In
This column forecast in April that domestic travel remains the best hope, and that seems to be coming true. The intra-
With
A 'travel bubble' between
25-1.4 billion is to be made. The last six
The only optimistsThe only airline to maintain a large international schedule throughout the last few months has been
Because
This will be the only scheduled A380 flight in the world. Most airlines have grounded their entire fleets of the gigantic 'super jumbo', with Air France announcing that it will cease operations of the type permanently.
An uncertain futureMore than three months into the pandemic, the future of air travel remains uncertain. It is very likely that the (northern) summer international tourist season will be a non-event.
Whether recovery will be possible for the Christmas peak will largely depend on the progress on the pandemic in coming months. (Comments may be sent direct to hello@surenratwatte.
com. This and other writings are available on the author's blo
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