battered by global airlines COVID-19 appear confident to cut their losses and went on the offensive at an industry summit in Qatar, criticizing governments and airports for their handling of the pandemic. “The cost of government mismanagement was substantial. It devastated economies, disrupted supply chains and destroyed jobs,” Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, told the region’s annual meeting of more than 100 airline owners.
Airlines themselves are under fire from governments and consumer groups for the disruption as demand for travel is faster than expected, but the airline industry sees a common thread in disorganized government responses to the crisis. “There was a virus, but each government invented its own method,” Walsh told the conference. “How can one trust such a shameful, disorganized and knee-jerk reaction from governments?”
Apart from the painful reforms, airline executives also focused on issues such as labor shortage at airports. Staff shortages have been widely blamed for recent flight delays and cancellations as an increasing number of people have turned to low-wage airport work thanks to the flexible working practices that have been in place during the pandemic. had become rich. Were. Akbar Al Baker, the head of host airline Qatar Airways, said labor shortages would be a major challenge in the coming months, although he said his airline was “filled with job applications”.
“People have a bad habit of working from home,” Al Baker told a news conference. “They feel they don’t have to go into an industry that really needs people,” he said, adding that a shortage of airport staff could restrict airlines’ post-crisis growth. , JetBlue Airways Corp CEO Robin Hayes, speaking about the industry’s labor shortage on the same panel in Doha, said he is confident we will return to “a new normal” in the next two to three years.
‘Not the right answer’
IATA’s Walsh cited research showing that border closures had barely stopped the spread of the pandemic, while nearly halting international travel and crippling economies. “Closing borders is not the right response to the pandemic,” Walsh said. Governments around the world provided more than $200 billion in aid to airlines to curb bankruptcies during the pandemic, according to UK-based aviation consultancy Ishqa.
IATA said airlines expect losses to narrow in 2022 and air travel may improve next year. Walsh said he was “not concerned” about the current demand and supply environment. Walsh said confused government policies have worsened the disruption seen especially as flight resumes in Europe.
Britain has criticized airlines for delays and called on the industry to refrain from overbooking flights they cannot operate. Airlines and airports often engage in major industry gatherings, with government interests and jobs at stake. Walsh, who as a former head of British Airways built a reputation as a bruiser in conflicts with unions and governments, lashed out at the CEO with an attack on the practice of raising airport fees to recover lost revenue during the crisis. put pressure on Rally.
“Try into competitive business. ‘Dear Valued Customer, we’re charging you double for your coffee today because you couldn’t buy coffee yesterday’. Who will accept that?” He said airports have said they are unfairly criticized by airlines and called on them to focus on solving their problems.