Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1248303
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MAY 2020 CORONAVIRUS CRISIS MASSIMO COSTA GUIDELINES issued by the Eu- ropean Commission this week on the post-lockdown resumption of travel recommend that airlines reduce the density of passengers on aircraft, essentially meaning planes would have to fly with sig- nificantly less than their full ca- pacity of passengers. Amongst its main recommen- dations for aviation, the Com- mission is advising that the concentration of passengers on board flights is avoided, that in- teraction is limited and cabin movement reduced. It also pro- posed measures for minimised contact at airports during check- in and security control. The recommendations come as several EU countries are consid- ering reopening their borders to travel as the COVID-19 situation in their country is brought under control. In the event that a gen- eralised relaxation of coronavirus restrictions across the EU is not justified by the health situation, the Commission is proposing a gradual approach which starts by lifting measures "between areas or member states with sufficient- ly similar epidemiological situa- tion" – essentially creating safe corridors. But, when such safe corridors are opened, will the Commis- sion's proposals for a European summer mean that planes will have to hike ticket prices to make up for the number of seats which they will have to keep empty – perhaps making family holidays temporarily financially out of reach for many? Speaking to MaltaToday on what the EU's guidelines will mean for would-be holiday- makers, Air Malta CEO Clifford Chetcuti said the guidelines were lacking detail and that one couldn't make any commitments based on them. His airline especially risks suf- fering from reduced loads under such trying circumstances. "The guidelines weren't as clear as one would want them to be. It's too early to come up with a business plan in this regard," he said. Even on whether an increase in flight ticket costs was a possibil- ity, Chetcuti unequivocally said it was too premature to decide on anything of the sort. "It is too early to even speculate about an increase in air fares," he empha- sised. He said Air Malta was discuss- ing closely with the industry and government on the reopening of certain safe corridors. "We are very keen to start operating again within our remit and in ac- cordance with respective restric- tions," Chetcuti said. But Clive Aquilina Spagnol, an airline-airport group director in Qatar, said Brussels was likely trying to avoid being interpreted as recommending leaving empty seats on aircraft, since this idea had triggered a backlash from airlines. However, by recommending that concentration of passengers is avoided, the EC is hinting at this without saying it explicitly. "The Commission issued guide- lines, not rules. In doing so, it can only recommend their ob- servance rather than impose," he said, highlighting that the guidelines would in the coming weeks be further supplemented by another set of technical op- erating guidelines issued by the European Aviation Safety Agen- cy (EASA). Such guidelines will have more weight vis-à-vis the industry and will inevitably be given priority in terms of what measures airlines will follow. Despite this, in the absence of mandatory regula- tions, airlines and airports will be more likely to follow what their industry bodies advise. He underlined, however, that air travel could not be safe, in the absence of the availability of a vaccine, unless empty seats were left on board. "This would mean a rise in tick- et prices. Moreover, social dis- tancing would not only translate into unoccupied seats, but would also entail less interaction with crew members and spacing seat allocation. "Putting the guidelines into practise, unequivocally social dis- tancing on board would require airlines to fly at a reduced capac- ity," he said. "Given the overall lower prices of modern travel, inevitably this would mean a higher ticket price than what we were used to, and ironically less comprehensive on-board service. "The latter would affect the lev- el of airline hospitality, as cabin crew would interact with passen- gers to a minimum, and because of the equipment they would have to wear, which will make it less possible to chat, interact and be of service to the passenger. "Since for full-service airlines, meals are an integral part of the airline product, these would have to be compromised too, par- ticularly in business class cabins where the service normally is more interactive." But it will be economy class passengers, where seat density is high, who will be worst affected if the guidelines are adopted. "With most passengers on any commercial flights (with some exceptions) flying economy class, this is where the headcount is to be reduced by 33% to even 50% of the cabin depending on the aircraft type and cabin configura- tion," Aquilina Spagnol said. And he warned that such low passengers loads would make the operation not economically via- ble at recent ticket prices, be it a low-cost, charter or a full-service operation. "Therefore, prices would have to go up to the point where the operator can at least break even. One may argue that the lower costs of a reduced on-board ser- vice and the current fuel prices may help in this regard, but re- grettably it is not enough. More so when a good number of air- lines are locked in fuel hedging at higher prices for the rest of the year." Low-cost carriers will be the airlines impacted most, he added. "Given low-cost carriers and charters do need to fly almost full to operate profitably, because of their low price offering, they are the ones worst hit, even if an empty middle seat does not be- come mandatory," he said. "Until a vaccine is developed, no one would like to be confined in a tube for a period of time, rubbing shoulders with a stranger." He also underscored that it would be essential that passen- gers feel sure their health is being Airline social distancing could make holidaying in the COVID-19 era unaffordable EUROPE'S SUMMER OF DISCONTENT "It would mean a rise in ticket prices. Moreover, social distancing would not only translate into unoccupied seats, but would also entail less interaction with crew members and spacing seat allocation" - Clive Aquilina Spagnol What would happen to Air Malta in a reduced load flying scneario? Clive Aquilina Spagnol