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Carriers minimised their losses in the last quarter of 2020 through dramatic cuts to fixed costs, according to research from IATA. The association analysed the Q4 results of 20 airlines and found that although they continued to report cash burns on the back of weak passenger numbers, those falls declined significantly. “In this small sample, airline net losses narrowed down close to 1Q20 levels when the pandemic initially hit the industry,” says IATA. “It is important to note that this is mostly due to the rigorous cuts in capital expenditures and operating costs since revenues are still less than half of their level in 1Q20.” IATA notes that preserving cash has been airlines’ top priority through the crisis, and that they have made “significant progress” in reducing fixed and semi-fixed costs. Airlines in IATA’s sample reduced maintenance and employment costs by 54% and 39%, respectively, in the last quarter of 2020 against a year earlier, although the decline in operating costs, of 45%, was much lower than the fall in revenues: 67%. IATA warns that 2021 “will also be a challenging year and airlines will look for cost-cutting measures until the recovery starts with the opening up of international markets”. The association still expects the sector will burn cash through 2021 as its recovery is delayed to the second half of the year.<br/>

The EC has said it will present a legislative plan later this month for what it's calling a "digital green pass" -- aka a digital certificate -- which it says will be aimed at facilitating cross-border travel in the age of coronavirus. President Ursula von der Leyen said today that the planned digital tool will aim to provide proof that a person has been vaccinated -- but not just that; the "digital green pass" will also display the results of tests, i.e. for those who have been unable to get a vaccine yet, along with information on "COVID-19 recovery". "It will respect data protection, security and privacy," von der Leyen added in a couple of tweets. "The Digital Green Pass should facilitate Europeans' lives," she also said. "The aim is to gradually enable them to move safely in the European Union or abroad -- for work or tourism." The Commission will release details of the legislative plan on March 17. The EU's executive is keen for a pan-EU system to be set up to avoid fragmentation of the bloc's single market -- such as if individual Member States strike their own bilateral deals. Or to avoid a third-party commercial system gaining ground.<br/>

International business travel is not expected to remain permanently depressed, though it will likely recover from the coronavirus pandemic at a slower rate than leisure travel, United CE Scott Kirby said on Monday. Business travel was a key area of growth for the airline industry prior to last year’s onset of the coronavirus pandemic, which sapped demand for all transportation fuels worldwide. Fears that business travel will never return are unfounded, Kirby said during the virtual energy conference, arguing that while some companies may try to reduce business travel to cut costs, they will run up against competition who are willing to fly. “The first time they lose a sale to a competitor who showed up in person while they tried to do a sales call over Zoom, will be the last time they try to do a sales call on Zoom,” Kirby said. Volumes for jet fuel, while lagging behind gasoline and diesel, will “probably restore itself more or less back to normal by the second half of this year,” Ben Van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, also said on the panel. Both CEOs also spoke on the role of sustainable fuels as part of the aviation industry’s role in cutting emissions to reach net zero carbon by 2050. Reducing emissions “is a moral imperative for a company who wants to remain on the right side of history,” and also provides a business opportunity, Van Beurden said, adding that he expects Shell to be a major player in biofuels. Earlier in the conference, keynote speaker, investor and philanthropist Bill Gates noted that lower-carbon fuels to power aircrafts costs three times as much than traditional petroleum-based jet fuel.<br/>

Israelis returning home from abroad have a new option that will exempt them from being sent to a quarantine hotel: They can wear a bracelet monitor that will notify authorities should they violate a mandatory isolation period. The pilot program began on Monday with 100 tracking systems available at Ben Gurion Airport, where traffic has dropped dramatically due to restrictions meant to reduce the risk of COVID-19 variants entering the country. Incoming passengers have been forced to stay at hotels, paid for by the government, for up to two weeks to make sure they are virus-free before they can move around freely. Should someone choose the new system -- which includes an electronic bracelet, a smartphone and a wall-mounted tracker -- they can self-isolate at home. The system alerts the authorities if someone removes the bracelet or ventures too far from the home monitor.<br/>

The CDC will impose new public health requirements for US visitors who have recently been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Guinea because of concerns about Ebola, the agency said on Monday. Starting this week, the US government will require travelers from DRC and Guinea to fly into six US airports. Airlines will collect and transmit passenger information to the CDC for public health follow-up for all passengers boarding a flight to the United States who were in DRC or Guinea within the previous 21 days. Recently, less than 100 people a day have been arriving in the US who have been in either country. The CDC said the outbreaks are centered in remote areas of the countries and added that “the risk of Ebola to the United States is extremely low.” Passengers will undergo verification of data on US arrival to ensure accurateness of contact information that will be shared with US state and local health departments to monitor arrivals.<br/>

China’s aviation regulator said on Monday its major safety concerns with the Boeing 737 MAX had to be “properly addressed” before conducting flight tests but it was studying a plan with US planemaker for clearing aircraft to fly. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) conducted comprehensive and in-depth technical scrutiny of the Boeing 737 MAX, the agency’s vice head Dong Zhiyi said, giving the regulator’s stance on the plane which China grounded in early 2019. The US and several other regulators have already cleared the plane to fly again. “We’ll conduct flight tests in a planned and step-by-step way once our major safety concerns are properly addressed,” Dong said, adding that cooperation between FAA and Boeing had been positive. The CAAC has outlined three principles for the jet to return to service, including certified design changes, proper training for the pilots and specific findings into the crashes.<br/>