Analysis for Europe/MEA

Things change over time: we all get older, some wiser, and we hopefully learn from our mistakes. It was once believed that the Earth was flat. We all (well, the vast majority) now know that it's round, but did you know that is not a perfect sphere? It never has been! The planet actually bulges around the equator by an extra 0.3% as a result of the fact that it rotates about its axis.

Approaching 700 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have now been administered across the world with around 150 million people now fully vaccinated against the highly infectious disease. That is a positive step in building immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 that continues to impact almost everybody’s daily lives through government mobility restrictions.

In a world where our safety and well-being have become our priority, the airport business lounge will become a key part of any regular travellers travel requirements. Ahead of the coronavirus pandemic the power of such locations had become somewhat diluted reducing their appeal to corporates.

Regular travellers don’t necessarily get pulled in by low-cost –though admittedly they are happy to accept cheaper fares – but it is more about good value. Whether that is through service, convenience or even price, if we seem to get a good return on our investment then we can put a favourable rate on that offer.

There has been unified support from voices across the aviation and wider travel and transport industries to the European Commission plans to introduce a 'Digital Green Certificate', which would see all EU member states adopt a unified travel certificate system. This proposal requires EU States to issue common, inter-operable and mutually-recognised certificates for COVID-19 vaccination, testing and recovery status that will facilitate free movement during the COVID pandemic and support the restart of travel.

Singapore Airlines has this week become the first carrier in the world to carry passengers using the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass, a digital platform for travellers that offers a global and standardised solution to validate and authenticate all country regulations regarding COVID-19 travel requirements.

Airbus last year revealed three concepts for the world’s first zero-emission commercial aircraft which could enter service by 2035. These concepts each represent a different approach to achieving zero-emission flight, exploring various technology pathways and aerodynamic configurations in order to support the company’s ambition of leading the way in the decarbonisation of the entire aviation industry.

One of the primary factors that is likely to influence passenger demand in the recovering commercial air transport market is increasing consumer pressure for climate responsibility. This will be a short-, medium-, and long-term requirement for the industry as sustainability becomes one of the key drivers of business strategy.

For long periods of the past 12 months our skies have been quiet as flight levels have been reduced by unprecedented levels due to COVID-19 linked travel restrictions. That was certainly not the case for those living in South Wales earlier this month when Central and Eastern European specialist LCC Wizz Air arranged a special flyover using its Airbus A320 aircraft.

When we talk about the importance of corporate travel to airlines, Lufthansa is often used as an example of one that relies on business travel. However, Lufthansa Group chief executive Carsten Spohr last week noted that the importance of this market has actually been following a downward trend over the past years.