Take to the Skies As Covid-19 shakes aviation to its core, the sector turns to new forms and concepts to regain passenger trust and weather financial turbulence. Words: Kristofer Thomas
N
ot since 9/11 has there been
2020 has seen Dubai-based Emirates
such a major shift in air travel.
grounding its entire 200-strong fleet, with the
A cursory glance to the sky is
Middle Eastern airspace clocking fewer than 50
evidence enough; what was
planes in the sky at any one time. In the US,
once a busy grid of intersecting,
over 600 Delta jets have been grounded since
criss-crossed contrails is now
April as the number of passengers screened by
the occasional silent jet cutting through a
the TSA fell below 100,000 for the first time; a
blue expanse. Since the turn of the year and
veritable nosedive from the two-million-plus
the spread of Covid-19, our airtime has been
tallied just a year previous.
severely limited. Attempting to flatten the
After 9/11, it took only three days for North
proverbial curve, all but essential travel is
American airspace to reopen and flights to
discouraged or outright illegal in many cases.
resume. Covid-19 on the other – and the range
Where air travel is permitted, a health security
of containment measures put in place to quell
paranoia and genuine exposure risk has seen
its spread – have lasted longer, occurred on
passengers reconsider. Throw in a slew of viral
a wider scale and unfolded with a great deal
anti-mask freak-out footage, privacy concerns
more uncertainty. Throughout this year, the
tethered to state tracking programmes and
International Air Transport Association is
widespread uncertainty regarding bookings and
predicting a 50% revenue decrease from 2019,
refunds, and a seven-hour drive alone becomes
marking potential losses of US$314bn.
considerably more attractive. All of a sudden,
There have been claims that this crisis will
after decades of connecting the world, it might
mean the end of air travel. Though this seems
just be the aviation industry’s day of reckoning.
unlikely, a shift away from the norm is already
