Let the airlines take a chance

A brief note about civil aviation and everything related, including plane makers and service providers. This is a sector that is deeply impacted by the coronavirus crisis. It will be one where major losses will occur. Every airline is losing massive amounts of money daily. And no one can predict when the skies will open again. The longer the wait the greater the risk of insolvency, of extensive disruption. And governments cannot save the entire sector. Any public money invested in aviation economics will be based on a reduced presence in the skies, on fewer planes and fewer jobs. It will be very tough. They will be competing against so many other demands on limited public resources. But let me be clear: it is critical to resume a handful of flights. It might be less expensive than keeping the planes on the ground. And it will help everyone to see where the priorities must be. The airlines will make their choices. In this case, the first role of governments should be to facilitate air travel, to lift the restrictions that make no real sense from a public health point of view.

Let the planes fly

One of my messages is clear. International travel should restart as soon as possible. There are enough means to control the health condition of passengers before departure and upon arrival. And the airlines can organise the space inside the planes, to guarantee a minimum of safety. This is a sector that is in dire straits. It must be given a chance to come back. But I am convinced we will see some big changes soon. The airlines will have to rethink their business model. And, in some cases, we might watch some companies just moving out of the business. Their viability is far from being possible. And we cannot have public money being spent just to keep them in the skies.