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Airports

Crippling Existential Crisis | Global Airports to Bleed US$94b in 2021 ACI World

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Some 4.7 billion fewer passengers are projected to travel by this year-end, representing a decline of 47.5 percent in global passenger traffic, according to a report by Airports Council International (ACI) World.

This is estimated to equate to a loss in revenue of more than US$94 billion this year, which is half of the projected baseline.

As prospects for a recovery in 2021 begin to emerge, ACI World estimates that different regions of the world will recover at different rates. At the country level, markets having significant domestic traffic are expected to recover in 2023 to pre-Covid-19 levels, while markets with a significant share of international traffic are unlikely to return to 2019 levels until 2024 or even 2025 in some cases.

ACI World has said an interoperable health data trust framework to facilitate safe border reopening and cross-border travel must be established to support this recovery. ACI added that it supports any system which will allow testing and vaccination data to be shared consistently, effectively, and in a way that protects the personal data of those that use it.

“The world is embarking on the biggest vaccination campaign in history, and we see positive indications in countries with high rates of vaccination and ACI World has discerned an escalation of these encouraging signs and prospects for recovery with a surge in travel in the second half of 2021 expected,” ACI World director general Luis Felipe de Oliveira said.

“Despite this, Covid-19 remains an existential crisis for airports, airlines, and their commercial partners and we need support and sensible policy decisions from governments to ensure that aviation can fuel the global economic recovery.

“We hope an upsurge in confidence in air travel provided by vaccination and safety measures should result in the number of people traveling outside of their countries will start this spring and significantly increase by mid-year.

“Aviation recovery will not take-off, however, without a coordinated and globally-consistent approach to vaccination and testing, coupled with safe and interoperable methods of sharing testing and vaccination information.”

With regards to economic impact, as a consequence of uncoordinated travel restrictions combined with small domestic markets, Europe is forecast to remain the most affected region in absolute terms with an estimated drop in revenues of more than US$37.5 billion for the full year 2021 compared to 2019.

In relative terms, the Middle East and Europe are forecast to suffer the biggest hits with decreases of 58.9 percent and 58.1 percent, respectively. Asia-Pacific is the region with comparatively the least impact, but it is still expected to experience a very significant decrease of 40.3 percent against the projected baseline.

Tourist Information Desk | KP-CTA Set Up At Saidu Sharif Airport

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PESHAWAR: The tourist information desk set up by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism (KPCTA) at the Saidu Sharif Airport was inaugurated on Friday to facilitate tourists during their visit to the Swat valley or elsewhere in Malakand Division.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan inaugurated the tourist information desk at the Saidu Sharif Airport.

Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed, Chief Executive Officer PIA Arshad Malik, Commissioner Malakand Division Zaheerul Islam, Deputy Commissioner Swat Junaid Khan, and officials of the Tourism Department accompanied the chief minister.

The KPCTA displayed brochures, banners, posters, booklets, and pamphlets about the scenic spots, roads leading to the tourist destinations, hotels, hospitals, heritage sites, and restaurants so the tourists and visitors could obtain required information at the tourist desk before departing to a specific tourist attraction in Swat and Malakand.

The Saidu Sharif Airport was reopened after 17 years, which would open up the entire Malakand Division especially Swat valley for tourism, trade, and investment.

Commercial flights would help generate job opportunities for thousands of people besides bolstering tourism in the area.

India Extends | Ban On International Flights Till April 30

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NEW DELHI: Scheduled international commercial passenger flights to and from India will continue to remain suspended till April 30, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was quoted as saying in a media report.

International flights were suspended at the end of March last year as part of a lockdown to curb the spread of Coronavirus, reported Emirates news agency Wam.

The extension of the ban on regular flights came on a day when the government announced a major expansion next month of its nation-wide vaccination drive against Coronavirus to cover everyone over the age of 45. So far, only those above 60 years of age were eligible for vaccination. Persons in the age group of 45-60 with co-morbidities were also eligible.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Home Affairs here issued fresh guidelines for effective containment of Covid-19, which will remain in force up to April 30. The guidelines mandate the states to strictly enforce a three-pronged “Test, Track, Treat” protocol in all parts of the country and ensure Covid-19-appropriate behavior by everyone.

The new guidelines have come as India recorded a surge in new cases of Coronavirus. In the previous 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported 40,715 new Covid-19 infections, taking the cumulative total since the onset of infections to 11.69 million. Deaths rose by 199 in a day to a total of 160,166.

DGCA said special flights approved by designated authorities, flights for the evacuation of Indian citizens abroad, and bilaterally negotiated “air bubbles” will be exempt from the continuing ban on international air traffic.

Oman Bans | All Direct Flights from UK

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MUSCAT: Oman’s Supreme Committee decided to impose a ban on all direct flights from the UK, except cargo flights, and prohibiting entry of passengers arriving from the UK or who were in transit there over the past 14 days.

The ban takes effect from 12 pm, Friday, March 19, and continues till further notice, reported Oman News Agency (ONA), adding that Omani citizens are exempt from the ban.

The Supreme Committee has also decided to downsize to 70% the number of employees at the workplace in units of the State’s Administrative Apparatus and other legal entities with effect from March 21 till April 1.

The Supreme Committee urges all departments to continue to take precautionary and preventive measures to curb the spread of the disease and to follow up the commitment of all to the instructions.

It has also issued directives to extend the closure of all commercial activities in all governorates of the Sultanate from 8 pm to 5 am till April 3.

An exemption from this covers fuel filling stations, health establishments, private pharmacies, tire sale and repair outlets based at filling stations, transport, cargo, and unloading services and the operation of factories without the option of receiving clients and customers, home deliveries, the handing over of food orders to customers in their vehicles from restaurants, cafes, mobile cafeterias, and licensed street vendors, as well as offering “guests-only service” at restaurants located within hotel establishments.

Heathrow Airport Records | Lowest Passenger Numbers Since 1966

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LONDON: Heathrow Airport Holdings said its monthly passenger numbers for February fell below 500,000, the lowest since 1966, as a result of strict travel restrictions amid the pandemic.

It said in a statement the collapse in numbers was “due to the ban on all but essential travel, blanket quarantine, pre-departure and post-arrival testing.”

Limits on passenger flights, which normally carry freight, also meant cargo volumes remained nearly 30% down on an annual basis.

The company pointed out that its EU rivals including Frankfurt, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Schiphol airports returned to pre-pandemic cargo tonnage levels.

“We are working with the PM’s Global Travel Taskforce to facilitate the safe restart of international travel after 17 May. The aim should be to simplify and standardize the checks that are required, with a goal of returning to travel as it used to be,” Heathrow said.

The business also said it is preparing to restart operations safely, noting its “biggest single concern” is the ability of the Border Force to be able to cope with additional passenger numbers, given recent unacceptable queue times. Recent news reports have said waiting times in immigration queues have been as long as six to seven hours.

Heathrow CEO, John Holland-Kaye, said: “Aviation has always led the UK economy out of recession, and we will do so again. The PM’s Global Travel Taskforce can lead the way on reopening international travel and trade safely – but ministers must get a grip of Border Force’s performance so that visitors get a warm welcome to Britain, not a six-hour queue.”

The travel industry has been one of the worst-hit during the pandemic and this continues to be the case as the UK bans travel out of the country except for those with a legitimate reason, such as a medical one, or wanting to attend a funeral. Those traveling in must self-isolate for ten days and pay £210 to get tested on day two and day eight of their quarantine.

Those coming in from the ‘red list’ of countries including Portugal, Brazil, and South Africa need to cough up £1,750 and stay in a hotel for ten days.

Some of these restrictions, particularly the ones about traveling out of the country, are meant to ease in May as per Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s four-step plan to ease lockdown.

Last month, Heathrow said it suffered an annual loss of £2bn ($2.8bn) in 2020.

IATA ASKs UK PM | Include Air Transport in UK Economic Restart Plans

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on the UK government to include a vision for lifting border restrictions and restarting air transport in its recovery plans for the UK economy, due to be outlined on 22 February by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The COVID-19 shutdown of the UK economy has resulted in the biggest one-year decline in GDP since 1709. Air passenger numbers fell by 76% in 2020. London lost its position as the world’s most connected city. Around 860,000 aviation, travel and tourism jobs were lost or sustained only due to government furlough schemes. If current border restrictions remain in place, there is no prospect of a recovery in air transport and these negative impacts will continue, damaging the UK economy for a generation or more.

Prior to COVID-19, the UK aviation industry supported around 960,000 jobs and GBP 57 billion in GDP (direct, indirect or induced impacts). A further 465,000 jobs were supported through aviation-related travel and tourism. It is therefore vital that the air transport industry is included in the government’s plan for rolling back lockdown restrictions.

“We recognize that the government has a difficult balancing act between unlocking the economy and safeguarding public health. We are not demanding a date for border restrictions to be lifted. But Prime Minister Johnson must set out a vision for how international travel can and will be restarted as the pandemic ends. That vision would include explaining how a phased reduction of restrictions would work, and the levels to which infections or hospitalizations would need to fall to trigger those reductions. With this science-based approach locked in, the industry and the public will have the certainty to plan for take-off,” said Rafael Schvartzman, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Europe.

UK Announces | 10-Year Jail For Covid Travel Rule Breakers

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LONDON: Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced tougher-than-expected new rules for arrivals to England from next Monday, including up to 10 years in prison for those who don’t stick to them.

Addressing the House of Commons, Mr Hancock said arrivals from 33 ‘red list’ countries with the highest Covid rates will have to quarantine in designated hotels for 10 days at a cost of £1,750 per person.

This will include two Covid tests taken on days two and day eight of the quarantine.

All other arrivals will be allowed to quarantine at home but they’ll also have to take Covid tests on day two and day eight, in addition to presenting a negative Covid test when they arrive in England.

The test-to-release scheme will continue for arrivals from non-red list countires, so they can end their quarantine early if they have a negative test taken on day five, but they’ll still have to take another test eight days after they arrive.

Anyone who has a positive test will have to quarantine for a further 10 days from the date of their test result. Those who fail to take one of the legally-required tests will be fined up to £2,000.

Mr Hancock announced £10,000 for those caught breaching the quarantine requirement and up to 10 years in prison for arrivals from ‘red list’ countries who try to avoid hotel quarantine by travelling home via another country and for lying on the passenger locator forms.

Mr Hancock said the Government has contracted 16 hotels with 4,500 rooms. However, given that the Government announced previously that it was expecting 1,000 arrivals a day from ‘red list’ countries, that would be enough rooms for less than five days – or nine days if they were all couples.

He said further hotels close to a ‘small number of airports’ would be contracted shortly.

Passengers will have to book the hotel rooms on a new website. Mr Hancock did not say whether they would have to re-arrange their flights home if there were no rooms available on their intended arrival date.

The new rules only apply to England, but Matt Hancock said he was discussing the introduction of similar rules in the devolved nations.

Russia Extends | Flight Ban With the UK Till February 16

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MOSCOW: Russia has extended the suspension of air service with the UK until 23:59 Moscow time on February 16 to protect public health, Russia’s anti-coronavirus crisis centre was quoted as saying in a media report.

Russia suspended air service with the UK on December 22, 2020 after a new coronavirus strain was detected in that country, reported Russian news agency Tass.

The coronavirus situation in the UK is extremely difficult because of a mutated strain, which is said to be 70% more contagious and 30% more lethal, it added.

According to the latest statistics, around 103 million people have been infected worldwide and more than 2.2 million deaths have been reported.

New Era For Aviation | Bahrain Airport New Terminal Opens

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MANAMA: Operations at Bahrain International Airport’s (BIA) new passenger terminal has begun, in line with the directive of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, said a report.

 The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) announced that all the airport’s facilities are ready, and preparations to welcome passengers are complete. The transfer to the new facility marks the dawn of a new era for the Kingdom of Bahrain’s aviation sector.

 The $1.1 billion new terminal is four times the size of the old one and designed to deliver a more personal, Bahraini feel. Equipped with the latest technologies in the market and supported by new infrastructure, it will increase the airport’s capacity to 14 million passengers per year, delivering a hassle-free airport experience and the highest standards of luxury, the report said.

 The Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications and BAC Chairman, Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed noted that the transfer marks a major step for the Ministry and BAC under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

 The Minister praised the Crown Prince’s contributions to the project and thanked him for his guidance, highlighting his contributions towards the kingdom’s many outstanding achievements in pursuit of its Economic Vision 2030, and bringing the Airport Modernization Program (AMP) closer to completion.

 Launched in February 2016, the AMP is the largest investment in Bahrain’s aviation sector to date and one of the most important national projects in the kingdom’s history.

utions throughout, which were vital to the smooth and successful launch of the airport’s new infrastructure. Their contributions helped to ensure the project was on schedule and on budget completion, without disrupting operations at the legacy airport, which has served the Kingdom efficiently for decades.”

 BAC Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah said: “This milestone is the culmination of years of careful planning and hard work. It marks the start of an exciting new chapter in the Kingdom’s rich aviation history and positions BIA as the most modern boutique airport in the region.”

Gulf Air Set To Move | Entire Ops To New Bahrain Terminal

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MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, has announced that starting January 28, it plans to move its entire operations for inbound and outbound flights to the new Bahrain International Airport terminal.

 This will provide a brand new customer experience to its passengers flying through the airline’s hub, the Kingdom of Bahrain, it said.

The new airport terminal will open a new chapter in the kingdom’s journey in aviation history, support the strategic vision for Bahrain to strengthen its position as a hub and facilitate the movement of millions of passengers.

The new airport terminal will feature a dedicated check-in area for both Falcon Gold and economy class passengers of Gulf Air as well as a brand new Falcon Gold lounge that is double in size and capacity compared to the previous one in the old airport.

Taking into consideration all of the updated health and safety measures, the new state-of-the-art lounge will reflect new concepts of modern premium lounges yet keeping with the legacy and rich history of the 70-year-old Gulf Air brand.

 A number of features will be maintained from the previous lounge as well as newly introduced spaces such as a children’s area, shower rooms, prayer space, a quiet area along with live cooking stations and new food & beverage concepts. Operational around the clock and with a capacity of over 400 passengers at any given time, the new Falcon Gold lounge will be available to experience by the airline’s Falcon Gold passengers as well as its Black, Gold and Silver Falconflyer members.

 Ahead of moving to the new premises, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi said: “It will be a big day for the Kingdom of Bahrain’s aviation history and for Gulf Air. We started our operations back in 1950 in a small facility in Muharraq and soon we will see a world-class airport being officially opened to welcome the world to our beloved Kingdom. The new airport is our new home and we are proud to have a bigger, more modern home to be Gulf Air’s hub.”

 He added: “With our own check-in area and a brand new Falcon Gold lounge, we are now more equipped than ever to carry and serve more passengers and expand our operations. We welcome our passengers to fly with us through the new airport which I am sure will impress everyone with its design, facilities, capacity and welcoming feel.”