Airline, Organisations & Operators,

Finnair has started trials of IATA Travel Pass on its Heathrow to Helsinki route.
The trial is taking place until August 11th on flights in both directions between London and the Finnish capital.
It becomes the latest airline to trial IATA Travel Pass, which has gained in popularity throughout the commercial aviation sector.
IATA Travel Pass is a smartphone-based initiative which uses mobile technology to make it easier for airline customers to manage all their proof of Covid-19 certificate status in one handy app, upon departure and arrival.ADVERTISEMENTAs well as making the flight less stressful, the app will also update customers with the most accurate and up-to-date information on various travel requirements for any pending journeys.
Ole Orvér, Finnair chief commercial officer, said: “The app is currently on trial in both directions from our hub in Helsinki to London, and we look forward to hearing our customers’ thoughts on the new solution to decide our next steps with it.
“We are also exploring other digital solutions to ease travelling and coronavirus related travel document management.”
IATA app allows travellers to receive, store and manage any verified Covid-19 certificates securely, giving them reassurance and support for travel.
In the future, the app will enable customers to navigate their way through airports and board their flight more quickly and efficiently.
It will do this by ensuring customers avoid the additional burden of travel document hassle – providing a smoother customer experience for regular travellers.

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on states to follow new guidance on travel from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The guidance recommends a “risk-based approach” to implementing measures related to Covid-19 and international travel.
Specifically, WHO recommended that governments:

Do not require proof of Covid-19 vaccination as a mandatory condition for entry or exit.
May relax measures such as testing and/or quarantine requirements for travellers who are fully vaccinated or have had a confirmed previous Covid-19 infection within the past six months and are no longer infectious.
Ensure alternative pathways for unvaccinated individuals through testing so that they are able to travel internationally. The WHO recommends rRT-PCR tests, or antigen detection rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) followed by confirmatory rRT-PCR tests of positive samples, for this purpose.
Implement test and/or quarantine measures for international travellers “on a risk-based manner” with policies on testing and quarantine regularly reviewed to ensure they are lifted when no longer necessary.

“These common sense, risk-based recommendations from WHO, if followed by states, will allow for international air travel to resume while minimizing the chance of importing Covid-19.
“As the WHO notes – and as the latest UK testing data proves –  international travellers are not a high-risk group in terms of Covid-19. ADVERTISEMENT“Out of 1.65 million tests carried out on arriving international passengers in the UK since February, only 1.4 per cent were positive for Covid-19.
“It’s long past time for governments to incorporate data into risk-based decision-making process for re-opening borders,” said Willie Walsh, IATA director general.
WHO also called on states to communicate “in a timely and adequate manner” any changes to international health-related measures and requirements.
“Consumers face a maze of confusing, uncoordinated and fast-changing border entry rules that discourage them from traveling, causing economic hardship across those employed in the travel and tourism sector.
“According to our latest passenger survey, 70 per cent of recent travellers thought the rules were a challenge to understand,” said Walsh.
Additionally, WHO encouraged states to look at bilateral, multilateral, and regional agreements, particularly among neighbouring counties, “with the aim of facilitating the recovery of key socioeconomic activities” including tourism, for which international travel plays a vital role.

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on governments to ensure that high costs for Covid-19 testing do not put travel out of reach for individuals and families.
To facilitate an efficient restart of international travel, Covid-19 testing must be affordable as well as timely, widely available and effective, the body argued.
An IATA sampling of costs for PCR tests (the test most frequently required by governments) in 16 countries showed wide variations by markets and within markets.
Even taking the average of the low-end costs, adding PCR testing to average airfares would dramatically increase the cost of flying for individuals.
Pre-crisis, the average one-way airline ticket, including taxes and charges, cost $200 (2019 data). ADVERTISEMENTA $90 PCR test raises the cost by 45 per cent to $290.
Add another test on arrival and the one-way cost would leap by 90 per cent to $380.
Assuming that two tests are needed in each direction, the average cost for an individual return-trip could balloon from $400 to $760.
The impact of the costs of Covid-19 testing on family travel would be even more severe.
Based on average ticket prices ($200) and average low-end PCR testing ($90) twice each way, a journey for four that would have cost $1,600 pre-Covid, could nearly double to $3,040 – with $1440 being testing costs.
Source: IATA
“As travel restrictions are lifted in domestic markets, we are seeing strong demand.
“The same can be expected in international markets.
“But that could be perilously compromised by testing costs – particularly PCR testing.
“Raising the cost of any product will significantly stifle demand.
“The impact will be greatest for short-haul trips (up to 1,100 km), with average fares of $105, the tests will cost more than the flight,” said Willie Walsh, IATA director general.

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has found that passenger traffic fell in February, both compared to pre-Covid-19 levels in February 2019, and to the immediate month prior, January this year.
Because comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of Covid-19, unless otherwise noted all comparisons are to February 2019, which followed a normal demand pattern.
Total demand for air travel in February 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) was down 75 per cent compared to February 2019.
That was worse than the 72 per cent decline recorded in January this year versus two years ago.
International passenger demand in February was 89 per cent below February 2019, a further drop from the 86 per cent year-to-year decline recorded in January and the worst growth outcome since July 2020. ADVERTISEMENTPerformance in all regions worsened compared to January 2021.
Total domestic demand was down 51 per cent versus pre-crisis (February 2019) levels.
In January it was down 48 per cent on the 2019 period.
This largely was owing to weakness in China travel, driven by government requests that citizens stay at home during the Lunar New Year travel period.
“February showed no indication of a recovery in demand for international air travel.
“In fact, most indicators went in the wrong direction as travel restrictions tightened in the face of continuing concerns over new coronavirus variants.
“An important exception was the Australian domestic market.
“A relaxation of restrictions on domestic flying resulted in significantly more travel.
“This tells us that people have not lost their desire travel.
“They will fly, provided they can do so without facing quarantine measures,” said Willie Walsh, IATA director general.

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that passenger traffic fell in January 2021.
The figures are down both compared to pre-Covid levels, January 2019, and compared to the immediate month prior, December 2020.
Total demand in January 2021 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) was down 72 per cent compared to January 2019.
That was worse than the 70 per cent year-over-year decline recorded in December 2020.
Total domestic demand was down 47 per cent versus pre-crisis, January 2019, levels.

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In December it was down 43 per cent on the previous year.
This weakening is largely driven by stricter domestic travel controls in China over the Lunar New Year holiday period.
International passenger demand in January was 86 per cent below January 2019, a further drop compared to the 85 per cent year-to-year decline recorded in December.
“This year is starting off worse than 2020 ended and that is saying a lot.
“Even as vaccination programs gather pace, new Covid-19 variants are leading governments to increase travel restrictions.
“The uncertainty around how long these restrictions will last also has an impact on future travel.
“Forward bookings in February this year for the northern Hemisphere summer travel season were 78 per cent below levels in February 2019,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA chief executive.
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects its digital Covid Travel Pass will be ready for use “within weeks”.
The pass – which was originally unveiled in December – is designed to verify a passenger has had the Covid-19 tests or vaccines required to enter a country.
It also verifies they were administered by an approved authority.
The industry body sees the pass as essential for reopening air travel, as many countries still have strict restrictions or quarantines in place.
“The key issue is one of confidence,” Vinoop Goel, IATA regional director of airports and external relations, said.
“Passengers need to be confident that the testing they have taken is accurate and will allow them to enter the country.

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“Then governments need to have the confidence that the tests that the passengers claim to have is one which is accurate and meets their own conditions.”
IATA said the Travel Pass – which it is preparing alongside Etihad and a number of other carriers – is designed in a modular way, so that it can work with other digital solutions that are being trialled around the world.
British Airways, for example, is working on a separate, but compatible, VeriFLY solution.
IATA said the Travel Pass will be available on iOS and Android platforms, and is expected to be free to passengers.
“We are building the IATA Travel Pass with one aim – to help reconnect our world safely.
“IATA has brought advancements in global standards like e-ticketing and mobile boarding passes to consumers in all parts of the world.
“This unique capability demonstrates that we can work with industry and governments to re-shape travel processes based on global standards,” said Nick Careen, IATA senior vice president, airport, passenger, cargo and security.
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced full-year global passenger traffic results for 2020 showing that demand (revenue passenger kilometres) fell by 66 per cent compared to the full year of 2019.
This is by far the sharpest traffic decline in aviation history.
Furthermore, forward bookings have been falling sharply since late December.
According to IATA figures, international passenger demand in 2020 was 76 per cent below 2019 levels.
Capacity, (measured in available seat kilometres) declined 68 per cent and load factors fell 19 percentage points to 63 per cent.

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Domestic demand in 2020 was down 49 per cent compared to 2019.
Capacity contracted by 36 per cent and load factor dropped 17 percentage points to 67 per cent in the domestic market.
December total traffic was 69.7 per cent below the same month in 2019, little improved from the 70.4 per cent contraction in November.
Capacity was down 57 per cent and load factor fell 24.6 percentage points to 57 per cent.
Bookings for future travel made in January were down 70 per cent compared to a year-ago, putting further pressure on airline cash positions and potentially impacting the timing of the expected recovery.
“Last year was a catastrophe – there is no other way to describe it.
“What recovery there was over the Northern hemisphere summer season stalled in autumn and the situation turned dramatically worse over the year-end holiday season, as more severe travel restrictions were imposed in the face of new outbreaks and new strains of Covid-19,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA director general.
The IATA baseline forecast for 2021 is for a 50 per cent improvement on 2020 demand that would bring the industry to 50.6 per cent of 2019 levels.
While this view remains unchanged, there is a severe downside risk if more severe travel restrictions in response to new variants persist.
Should such a scenario materialise, demand improvement could be limited to just 13 per cent over 2020 levels, leaving the industry at 38 per cent of 2019 levels.
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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged all branches of the European Union to support an initiative from Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to agree a common digital European Covid-19 vaccination certificate.
It is hoped the digital document would enable those who are vaccinated to travel freely within Europe without testing.
In an open letter to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, IATA chief executive, Alexandre de Juniac, called on EU dates to coordinate a policy that would see the region safely gain the economic and social benefits of renewed freedom of movement.
”Prime minister Mitsotakis’ initiative should be urgently adopted by the commission and all member states.
“Vaccination is a fundamental key to safely reopening borders and stimulating economic recovery.

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“A pan-European mutually recognised vaccination certificate would be an important step towards giving governments the confidence to safely open their borders, and passengers the confidence to fly without the barrier of quarantine,” said de Juniac.
The Greek proposal is for a harmonised vaccination certificate that could contribute “to the re-establishment of mobility on a global scale, which is the foundation for re-establishing economic activity to pre-crisis levels”.
As the virus comes eventually under control, testing capacities improve and the vaccinated population grows, de Juniac stressed the need for governments to prepare for re-establishing the freedom of movement with well-coordinated planning.
That planning should use the most effective combination of vaccination and testing capabilities.
“We are in very dark days of this pandemic.
“But the tough measures taken combined with accelerating vaccination programs must give us hope that we can safely re-establish the freedom of movement.
“That will save jobs, ease mental anguish, re-connect families and revive the economy.
“To do this safely and efficiently, planning is key,” said de Juniac.
The EU heads of state meet tomorrow and Mitsotakis’ proposal will be on the agenda.
Image: Sipa USA/SIPA USA/PA Images
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