No short routes to get travellers back on flights, says Airbus chief

With flights all set to resume in coming days, it’s for airports, airlines and aircraft manufacturers to ensure that only those passengers who are not infected get on board. “This is a global responsibility,” said Mikail Houari, President for Airbus’ Africa and Middle East operations. “If the passenger wants to be guaranteed he won’t get infected on a plane, the airport and airline should ensure no one infected steps into the cabin. Whether it’s passengers flying onboard our aircraft, or those taking control of an A380, or those providing maintenance and repair services to our fleet on the ground, we are always applying end-to-end layers of safety at every step.” The need of the moment is to focus on an “end-to-end passenger experience”, not only during the flights but also by practising social distancing at airports, screening and managing travellers before they board, and disinfecting cabins. However, the key is to ensure consistency and strict enforcement of these precautionary measures. Airlines have provided schedules for the relaunch of services, with many focused on domestic flights and then widening that to international networks. Many of these carries are in the midst of negotiations with national governments for aid that could keep them afloat until normal traffic levels return to the skies. Houari reckons that air traffic demand will return to 2019 levels only by 2023-24. Story has more.<br/>