THE NEW NORMAL NEEDS FLEXIBILITY IN STRATEGY AND FLEET

To come out of the pandemic more sustainably, Pereira suggested airlines to consider smaller aircraft and point to point flying

- AYUSHEE CHAUDHARY

THE PANDEMIC DUE TO THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) has transformed the world drastically, leaving impacts that are likely to linger on most industries even when the pandemic is over but every industry is drafting new ways to move forward and sustain itself. The aviation industry, which remains among the most impacted industry, is also coming up with new models as innovation seems to be the survival tactic in this post-COVID-19 world.

Even though some countries are beginning to reopen their borders and air travel is looking at ways to tentatively resume, IATA’s (International Air Transport Association) figures predict that demand for air travel is not likely to reach 2019 levels again at least till 2024. The ongoing threat of ‘second waves’ and further localised lockdowns is an additional uncertainty that is hanging on the industry’s head.

In a media interaction recently, Cesar Pereira, Vice President, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), Embraer Commercial Aviation offered a few suggestions that he thinks the airlines need to focus upon. The “new normal” requires a new mindset, stated Pereira. “With infection cases worldwide showing little signs of abating, carriers need to adapt to a new normal as well as the need to have flexibility in strategy and fleet,” he added.