Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus covid-19, the aviation industry has been in turmoil and scrambling to understand what strategies it needs to implement in order to survive in what will probably go down as aviation's worst crisis in its history. With nearly two thirds of the world airline fleet parked up, the commercial airline industry cancelled routes, and downsized dramatically, and retired much of its fleet. Lessors and financial lenders alike reacted by trying to ease up on contractual obligations in order to avoid a global meltdown. Business travel ground to a halt while most companies reverted to teleconferencing to keep their business alive and healthy. Nations tried desperately to implement measures in order to save any possible trace of a 2020 tourism industry before the second wave hit hard in fall 2020. While financial support packages are being put together to provided much needed relief, it remains unclear as to how this will be disseminated given that several operators are expected to fold. With the announcement of several promising vaccines in late November, new hope is now on the horizon for a quicker recovery than could have ever been imagined only 2 months ago. Massive global vaccination programs, coupled with new tracking policies for travelers and new health and safety measures, will certainly remove the difficult quarantine periods previously required, and the overall threat level to each nation.
How soon will the aviation industry rebound given the protections that are now emerging? With the determination to avoid a global depression, along with an appetite for the world to return to normalcy, both stock markets and governments alike are reacting positively to a speedy global economic recovery. The entire world wants covid-19 to be a thing of the past. We learned how fragile and vulnerable our collective societies really are, we have seen the best of what politicians, governments, scientists and communities, and citizens can do to come together and overcome this historic challenge. How will our children remember 2020? It will have shaped the future, not only of air travel, but the way we live, interact, and appreciate what was previously and uninhibited lifestyle. Mankind has the uncanny ability to adapt and overcome, and more so now than every before with our technological prowess.
The aviation industry is paramount to global connectivity and growth - this will never be replaced. Even in these most dire of times, the aviation industry once again demonstrated its importance in moving essential equipment and supplies around the world. Now, it is again being called upon to distribute the life-saving vaccines that will end this crisis. Although the spool-up period may need its time to reach pre-covid levels, travelers from around the world will be back at planning their next business meeting, next family vacation, and the next round of global economic growth in front of the people, teams, and instigators that will interact to make it all happen.
