Airlines are ready to fly on October 1, but doubts remain

Pablo Bizón

09/11/2020 - 15:37

• Clarín.com

• travels

“

airlines

.

They comply with the measures established by all the organizations and authorities and confirm the message that flying is safe ”.

This was one of the central conclusions of the virtual forum "Recovery and sustainability of the airline industry" organized by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and in which officials and representatives of the country's airlines and airports participated.

However,

: will the flights finally return on October 1, a possibility that is announced by the Government?

"We are working to make it so, said Paola Tamburelli, head of the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC), in that virtual panel, although she warned that the decision is subject to the approval of the health authorities and" the highest authorities of the Executive Power , which will evaluate the evolution of the pandemic ”.

And he recalled that the provincial authorities will also intervene in the decision whether or not to allow flights to their territories.

“The same internationally;

the decisions of each State will make it possible to decide to which countries it is possible to fly and which not, "said the official, who noted that with the application of the protocols," we hope to be in a position to announce very soon the reactivation (of flights), which for us it is a priority ”.

Thus,

.

Planes waiting for the moment of reactivation at Jorge Newbery Airport (REUTERS / Agustin Marcarian)

Perspectives

Despite the uncertainty, the president of Aerolineas Argentinas, Pablo Ceriani, was optimistic: "We see a

to be able to fly again," he said, and highlighted that the sales of the last

"more than doubled the best expectation we had.

We believe that there is a very strong contained demand, and as soon as flights and tourist activity can resume,

”.

Ceriani highlighted that 80% of these sales were for domestic destinations, which "is clearly the first thing that is going to be reactivated."

Second will come regional flights, and finally, international ones.

He also pointed out that although 26% of what was sold was to fly this year, 54% corresponded to summer, the high season, so "we believe that (at that time) we will see a resurgence in demand, especially in cabotage" .

Aerolineas Argentinas presented a health protocol that will be applied once the regular operations return (EFE / Aerolineas Argentinas)

For his part, Gonzalo Pérez Corral, general manager of the low cost

, confirmed that the company is ready to resume activity.

"A biosecurity protocol was developed according to recommendations issued by international authorities, and we established a cooperation agreement with the Red Cross to provide information and raise awareness."

And he assured that the protocols "have been being implemented at Jetsmart Chile (which never stopped flying) and that allowed us important learning to incorporate new techniques and procedures."

And he highlighted that the protocol is applied in three stages;

First of all, at airports: “We ask passengers to arrive with the printed boarding and the health declaration from the aeronautical authority, we install dispensers for disinfection, we maintain the distance between people, in addition to measuring the temperature of the passengers, and we increased the times between flights, to achieve a more orderly boarding and a very careful baggage claim ”.

Jetsmart developed a biosecurity protocol according to recommendations issued by international authorities, and established a cooperation agreement with the Red Cross.

Regarding airplanes, he stressed that they are disinfected daily and electrostatic sanitizing guns are also used.

In addition, all crew members use protection elements such as gloves and chinstraps, sales on board were minimized and a digital menu with QR code was developed so that passengers can place their order by cell phone, in order to reduce interaction with the crew.

In the “must” column, he noted the

, referring specifically to the

El Palomar airport

.

“Clear rules and greater predictability are needed;

for example, knowing from which airport we are going to operate.

It is necessary to generate confidence in passengers and investors, "he said.

Then, the CEO of Flybondi, Mauricio Sana, highlighted that in 2019 one in five passengers chose to fly in

companies

, and that Flybondi in particular registered an average occupancy of 90%.

Regarding this, he indicated that serious work has been done and all the protocols are ready, but he emphasized two additional obstacles.

"The first is that our market has lost purchasing power during these almost six months of quarantine";

and regarding the second, he agreed with Pérez Corral: “Another additional generator of uncertainty is the situation of El Palomar;

people do not know (whether to buy tickets or not) because they doubt that the

can continue ”.

Flybondi is also committed to continuing to operate from El Palomar.

In any case, he stressed that the Flybondi plan is "a long-term plan, we seek to generate confidence that tickets can continue to be purchased at Flybondi and communicate that El Palomar will continue to operate."

Opportunity in tourism

Finally, Luis Monreal, general manager of

for Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay, ratified the company's commitment to the country, and regarding the resumption of operations, he pointed out that “this is the biggest crisis in history of aviation, so it will be necessary to see how the evolution will be and how to define and scale the recovery (of the flights) ”.

The objective of the Lufthansa Group, he said, is to have 60% of the destinations covered worldwide by the beginning of next year, and the intention is "to

" .

Although he clarified that the plan will depend "on the circumstances."

The Lufthansa Group plans in a first stage to recover three weekly Lufthansa frequencies from Germany and from Switzerland with the Edelweiss line.

As for future prospects, he was optimistic about the tourist possibilities that the country offers: “

, because it offers large spaces, natural spaces, the possibility of fleeing from large cities, although (this offer) has to be accompanied by connectivity and infrastructure ”.