New research backs rapid antigen testing for safe and efficient restart of Air Travel Rapid testing on departure at airports is the key to unlocking international travel, says the World Travel & Tourism Council in its submission to the UK government’s Global Travel Taskforce. Meanwhile, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has also urged governments to accept best-in-class rapid antigen tests in fulfillment of COVID -19 testing requirements following the publication of new research by OXERA and Edge Health. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, has been at the forefront of global efforts to revive safe travel in the COVID-19 era. It has said that while vaccine rollout around the world is to b...
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced full-year global passenger traffic results for 2020 showing that demand (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) fell by 65.9% compared to the full year of 2019, by far the sharpest traffic decline in aviation history. Furthermore, forward bookings have been falling sharply since late December. Similarly, data for global air freight markets show that demand for air cargo decreased by 10.6% in 2020, compared to 2019. This was the largest drop in year-on-year demand since IATA started to monitor cargo performance in 1990, outpacing the 6% fall in global trade in goods. International passenger demand in 2020 was 75.6% below 2019 levels. Capacity, (measured in available seat kilometers or ASKs) declined 68.1% and load factor fe...
Read MoreThe International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for the development and deployment of rapid, accurate, affordable, easy-to-operate, scalable and systematic COVID-19 testing for all passengers before departure as an alternative to quarantine measures in order to re-establish global air connectivity. IATA will work through the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and with health authorities to implement this solution quickly. International travel is 92% down on 2019 levels. Over half a year has passed since global connectivity was destroyed as countries closed their borders to fight COVID-19. Some governments have cautiously re-opened borders since then, but there has been limited uptake because either quarantine measures make travel impractical or the frequent chan...
Read MoreWTTC calls for ‘air corridors’ between key global cities to restore business travel
The restoration of ‘air corridors’ between the world’s top financial centres are vital to reviving international business travel and help kickstart the global economic recovery, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). WTTC, which represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector, says it is crucial that international business travel resumes, following its near collapse due to the coronavirus pandemic. WTTC is calling for the introduction of a pilot scheme, involving airport-based testing, followed by a second test just days later, for travel between the financial hubs of London and New York, with the aim of re-starting business travel. An analysis of Public Health England’s data by WTTC suggests two tests in quick succession could be 80% effe...
Read MoreGlobal passenger traffic is not going to return to pre-COVID-19 levels until 2024. And this is going to happen a year later than was projected previously. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released an updated global passenger forecast showing that the recovery in traffic has been slower than had been expected. As per the forecast, the recovery in short haul travel is still expected to happen faster than for long haul travel. Recovery to pre-COVID-19 levels, however, will also slide by a year from 2022 to 2023. For 2020, global passenger numbers (enplanements) are expected to decline by 55% compared to 2019. While in April, the forecast was of 46% decline. Obviously, things have gone worse. June 2020 passenger traffic foreshadowed the slower-than-expected rec...
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