Owais Crawford
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation industry, with many airports and airlines ceasing operations during lockdown periods. As restrictions begin to ease, airports are gradually resuming operations, but the process of reopening comes with a unique set of challenges. Airports will have to implement new health and safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and comply with regulations and restrictions imposed by destination countries. This includes social distancing, mandatory masks, temperature checks, and health certification. Airlines will also have to navigate reduced demand and financial difficulties, with some predicting significant fare increases to compensate for stringent rules and reduced passenger capacity.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Airlines will be allocated specific entry gates | To avoid overcrowding of passengers |
| Boarding of only three rows at a time | To prevent the formation of queues near the boarding gate or aerobridge |
| Social distancing | Airports will have to ensure two-metre distancing during check-in and security check |
| Thermal checking of passengers | To be made compulsory by Indian airports |
| Masks | To be made mandatory by many airports |
| Reduced schedules | To be expected as carriers begin to ramp up operations and travel restrictions are lifted |
| Limited flights | To facilitate social distancing |
| Health certification | To be expected by some countries for arriving passengers and crew |
| Empty middle seats and last three rows | To be implemented by some airlines to minimise contact |
| Digital payments | To be promoted by some airports |
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What You'll Learn
Social distancing and safety measures
Thermal screening of all passengers will be mandatory, and airports will be asked to make thermal checking of passengers compulsory and limit customer touchpoints. Face masks will be compulsory for all passengers and staff, and physical distancing markers will be in place to help guide airport guests. Airports will also be regularly sanitised and disinfected.
In terms of flight operations, airlines will be required to keep all middle seats and the last three rows empty to minimise contact between passengers. This will be a challenge for airlines, as they argue that such measures will make flight operations commercially unviable and push up fares significantly.
Countries will also implement their own specific measures. For example, Malaysia requires passengers to produce a negative COVID-19 test certificate from no more than three days prior to departure.
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Reduced flight schedules
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation industry, with many airports and airlines being forced to suspend operations due to lockdown restrictions and travel bans. As countries begin to ease these restrictions and lockdowns are lifted, airports will gradually resume operations, but it is expected that flight schedules will remain reduced for some time.
A gradual resumption of operations is necessary to ensure that social distancing can be maintained within airports and on aircraft. For example, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has stated that airlines must keep all middle seats and the last three rows empty to minimise contact between passengers. This will reduce the capacity of aircraft, such as IndiGo's 186-seater Airbus A320 jet, which will only be able to sell 106 seats under these guidelines. Similarly, airports will need to implement measures to prevent the formation of queues, such as boarding only three rows at a time and ensuring two-metre distancing during check-in and security checks.
The reduced flight schedules will also be influenced by the varying rates at which different countries are lifting lockdown restrictions. As of June 2020, several countries, including Jamaica, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Greece, Germany, France, and Italy, have opened their airspace for international flights. However, the lack of synchronisation in the reopening of flight operations across the globe presents a challenge for airlines, particularly for those based in India, where international operations can only resume once destination countries have opened their airspace.
In addition to international travel restrictions, demand for air travel is expected to be severely hampered in the aftermath of the pandemic, further contributing to reduced flight schedules. This decrease in demand, coupled with the stringent measures required to ensure passenger safety, will likely result in significantly higher airfares. Despite these challenges, some airlines have already resumed limited flight operations, such as Malaysia Airlines, which resumed domestic flights in June 2020 and planned to start international services in July.
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Stringent standard operating procedures
To ensure the safety of passengers and staff, airports will have to implement stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
One of the key measures is to reduce physical contact between passengers and staff. This can be achieved by allocating specific entry gates, self-check-in counters, and check-in bays to different airlines, as well as encouraging digital payments and the use of self-ordering kiosks at food courts. Social distancing will be enforced by limiting the number of passengers boarding at a time and maintaining two-meter distancing during check-in and security checks.
Thermal screening and temperature checks will be mandatory for all passengers and staff entering the airport, and those with COVID-19 symptoms will not be allowed to board. Airports will also be regularly sanitised and disinfected, and safety equipment such as antimicrobial sneeze guards and hand sanitisers will be provided at service counters.
To ensure compliance with these measures, safety compliance officers will patrol the terminals, and airlines will be expected to follow the guidelines until the World Health Organization gives an all-clear signal. These procedures will be challenging for airlines, and industry executives predict that they will lead to significant fare increases.
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International travel restrictions
Even after a country decides to allow the aviation sector to operate, international operations can only start when destination countries also decide to open their airspace. This has resulted in a lack of synchronisation in the reopening of flight operations across the globe, with different rules and regulations in each country.
Many countries have implemented stringent regulations for incoming international flights, including mandatory health certifications and health checks for passengers and crew, and periodic fumigation of aircraft. Temperature checks and social distancing have become standard requirements at airports, with some countries also implementing mandatory mask-wearing.
Some countries, such as Malaysia, have reopened their airports but left the decision to operate flights to individual airlines. In contrast, others, like India, have taken a cautious approach, considering the resumption of international flights on a case-by-case basis, depending on the country of origin.
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Financial difficulties for airlines
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the aviation industry, with many airlines facing financial difficulties as a result of the lockdown. The complete lockdown ordered by the Indian government, for example, except in the case of cargo flights, has shaken airline companies financially. Airlines have had to deal with mounting leasing charges for aircraft while being grounded, and many have started cost-cutting measures, including reducing salaries and allowances.
The resumption of operations for airlines is a challenging task, with huge obstacles to overcome, especially regarding international flights. Airlines are dependent on destination countries opening up their airspace and implementing varied rules and regulations. Training crew to implement new health and safety measures also comes with additional costs.
Social distancing measures will impact the number of passengers airlines can carry. For instance, the Standard Operating Procedure formulated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India will make it mandatory for airlines to keep all middle seats and the last three rows empty to minimise contact. This means, for example, that IndiGo, India's largest airline, can only sell 106 seats on its 186-seater Airbus A320 jets. Industry executives argue that such measures will make it unviable for airlines to operate and will push up fares significantly.
Airlines will also have to deal with reduced demand for air travel. It is thought that demand will be severely hampered for many months, and stringent rules and regulations will further impact the desire to travel. For instance, Malaysia's airports are open, but interstate travel within the country is not allowed, and passengers must have the required permits to travel.
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Frequently asked questions
Airports will enforce social distancing and mandatory mask-wearing. They will also screen the body temperature of all guests at every entrance to the terminal building.
Yes, boarding will be limited to three rows at a time to prevent the formation of queues. Airlines will be allocated specific entry gates, self-check-in counters, and check-in bays to avoid overcrowding.
Yes, but they will have to follow strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure social distancing. Digital payments and self-ordering kiosks will be encouraged to reduce queues and minimise human contact.
