CEM Report, Lagos
After months of airports closure globally, restricted movement and grounded tourism activities, the environment is brightening up gradually as more airports and tour destinations have continued to re-open to flights and tourists
Starting from Africa countries, Kenya, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso and Togo are recommencing international flights.
African News had announced that Kenya’s international airline, Kenya Airways, has resumed flights to 30 different destinations.
The airline is expecting demand to remain below 50% of its pre‐pandemic capacity, but it has said that it has the flexibility to increase the number of routes and the frequency of flights dependent on demand.
There are currently numerous international flight schedules in operation to and from Dubai for the month of August. Dubai Airports official website confirms that Emirates airline has resumed scheduled operations at DXB Terminal 3, with all other airlines operating from either Terminal 2 or Terminal 3. Dubai International Airport has seen international departures and arrivals since 7 July 2020.
Throughout August, British Airways is resuming flying to more destinations, albeit with continued low frequencies
In Europe flights will resume to the holiday destinations of Bari, Bastia, Bodrum, Bordeaux, Catania, Figari, Frankfurt, Genoa, Kefalonia, Lyon, Luxembourg, Malta, Paphos and Pula, while further afield Antigua, Islamabad and Nairobi join the long-haul line-up, British Airways posted on August 03, 2020
Reuters, reported on August 4 that as part of government’s efforts to reactivate the economy, which is expected to contract between 7% and 8%, Honduras announced it will reopen its airports to domestic and international flights in mid-August, after a nearly five-month closure due to the pandemic.
Israel could reopen its skies as early as August 16, according to the Health Ministry – and anyone who wants to visit Israel from a “green state” may not have to go into isolation or even take a coronavirus test, Israel Post reported July 29.
The country’s news quoted the Tourism Minister Assaf Zamir as saying that “the sky should open as soon as possible, even if it is partial and under restrictions or the obligation to isolate.” He said he expects that travel challenges will plague Israel and the world for years to come.
In the same manner, Nepal government has decided to resume domestic and international flight operations starting from August 17, nearly four months after they were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MENAFN – IANS reported that the government’s move follows the decreasing rate of COVID-19 cases in the Himalayan country in recent days.
According to Taiwan News, Singapore Airlines announced in a news release on Tuesday (Aug. 4) that it will resume three regular flights between Singapore and Taipei in September.
The announcement came after Scoot and All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced the resumption of their Taiwan routes. Singapore Airlines plans to resume three Singapore-Taipei flights a week — on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays — on Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, CNA reported.
The lockdown have had and will continue for a while to impact negatively on global economy owing to the strategic place air travel occupy in the economy. While the air travel industry investment suffers monumental loss, the impact of the air travel ban on sister tourism industry is forecast to be more
The International Air Transport Association, IATA had announced in June in its financial outlook for the global air transport industry, that the aviation would lost above $84bn in 2020 following the global lock down imposed by 161 countries.
In July, United Nation Conference on Trade and Development, correspondingly announced a forecast loss of at least $1.2 trillion, or 1.5% of the global gross domestic product (GDP).
Though, the resumption of flights and opening of tourist destinations is necessary and welcomed as way to salvage the world economy from total collapse, it poses danger it can spark a new wave of coronavirus infection as being warned by health experts.
