Relaunching International Travel Response and Recovery Strategies for Airports in the Wake of COVID-19
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Relaunching international travel Response and recovery strategies for airports in the wake of COVID-19 GHD | Relaunching international travel | 1 Executive summary The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing airports to consider a raft of changes to attract people back to fly domestic and internationally. At a minimum, it is expected that a number of modifications to airport infrastructure and operating processes will need to occur. This report examines the current state of the aviation sector and the type of changes governments, airports and airlines across the world are trialling that will influence the passenger journey. These changes fall into three key areas: ➀ Safety, health and hygiene ➁ Core operations and social distancing ➂ Regulations and policies for becoming a carefully designed ‘aerotropolis’, not only to There are already some clear trends emerging. For example, attract customers, but commercialise their landside for non- the use of smart devices to organise and comply with aero dependent uses while also minimising community levels COVID-related restrictions has increased dramatically in of exposure. recent months, which means the concept of contactless processing for a passenger’s entire end-to-end journey is To be resilient and adaptable to inevitable changes, airlines and now much more feasible. Already many airports across the airports must be prepared to diversify their revenue streams. world are partnering with passenger solution platforms to help implement contact free experiences. Additionally, Etihad Airways is trialling a range of self-service thermal imaging to estimate vital signs, as well as robotic Furthermore, journeys in the future will almost certainly cleaners, while some airports are looking into advanced CCTV. include some form of pre-departure testing to ensure the But, determining whether these kinds of technologies are health and safety of passengers and aviation employees. temporary or the ‘new normal’ poses another obstacle. In some countries, smart phone apps are being explored which allow passengers to access and show airline officials While it is challenging to predict passenger trends moving test results, which could streamline the process and reduce forward, it is clear that the end-to-end journey needs to be a the need for paper documents. However, these apps bring user centric one that places the passenger, not the process, at concerns regarding their costs, reliability and approvals. the centre of the experience. When it comes to the way airports operate, COVID-19 has The trials and adoption of new technologies have proved a proven that cities are no longer a region’s sole urban hub. contactless and safer way forward, but there remains a gap to In planning for the future and selecting technologies to the adoption of a globally consistent approach. Collaboration implement, airports will need to consider the business case between government, airports, airlines, key stakeholders and industry will be critical to restore passenger confidence. To be resilient and adaptable to inevitable changes, airlines and airports must be prepared to diversify their revenue streams. GHD | Relaunching international travel | 2 COVID-19 impacts on the Aviation Sector No industry has been impacted more than aviation. After years of revenue growth from surging travel and tourism, airports are facing years of losses that will place pressure on thousands of employees and on the jobs the industry supports. Demand for travel decreased by 97% at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 and by October 2020, demand had barely recovered to 30% of the levels seen in 2019 (Business Insider, 2020). Airports need to adopt robust strategies for the staged restoration of international travel, a pathway to the ‘new normal’. The path to progress and recovery for airports beyond COVID-19 involves anticipating and responding quickly to public health advice and adapting to changes in passenger needs and available country routes. Although the nature and uncertainty of this unprecedented global situation poses significant problems for airports to The path to progress respond to and plan for, it is anticipated that the solution involves a reimagined end-to-end passenger journey, one that places the passenger—not the process—at the centre and recovery for of the passenger experience. Many of the innovations and processes identified in redefining the passenger experience airports beyond had already been under development prior to COVID-19. The challenge now, however, is to implement the most COVID-19 involves appropriate user-centric technologies and necessary modifications to physical airport infrastructure and anticipating and operational processes. These must align with a globally recognised standard for pre-departure testing and screening in collaboration with governments, airlines and responding quickly to state agencies through a gradual restarting of operations for airports and airlines, with the ultimate aim of restoring public health advice and passenger confidence. adapting to changes in passenger needs and available country routes. GHD | Relaunching international travel | 1 forefront of everyone’s attention, there these challenges represent, stating that is a lack of discussion and continuity there is ‘currently no single measure that The beginning of 2020 saw countries regarding the strategies that airports could mitigate all the risks of restarting across the globe closing borders can implement now to emerge from the air travel’ (Freight & Trade Alliance, and limiting travel in response to the COVID-19 crisis in a stronger position. 2020). COVID-19 outbreak. In the wake of This literature review will investigate COVID-19, airports are operating on approaches for airports to transition Angela is echoed by Alexandre de almost zero revenue while struggling through the unprecedented situation Juniac, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to provide essential support for of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to and Director General of the International passengers, airlines, tenants and reinvigorate domestic and international Air Transport Association (IATA), who governments. An economic impact travel. states that a globally-consistent, analysis by the International Civil outcome-based approach will prove Aviation Organisation (ICAO) revealed This review of the literature revealed to be the most effective method for that world scheduled passenger three recurring challenges that will balancing risk mitigation with the need traffic in 2020 has seen a reduction directly impact the response and to enable travel and unlock economies of 2,900 million passengers, resulting planning required by airports, airlines (Freight & Trade Alliance, 2020). in a potential loss of A$550 billion and government in order to recover (International Civil Aviation Organisation, domestic and international travel: This study includes extensive research 2020). James Goodwin, Chief Executive of the above three challenges, Officer of the Australian Airports 1. Safety, health and hygiene, examining various emerging global Association (AAA) revealed that airports technology trends and how airports 2. Core operations and social in Australia has been losing about can incorporate these into their future distancing, A$320 million each month through the planning. Due to the recency of the pandemic, with 25% of the workforce 3. Regulations and policies. COVID-19 pandemic, research has losing their jobs in the past 12 months been limited to readily available data in (Wood, 2021). Although daily media Angela Gittens, Director General of the form of online media releases and headlines ensure that the troubled Airports Council International (ACI) company product publications. status of the aviation industry is at the World, acknowledges the difficulties that Changes to operational systems and processes – Data modelling – Low airfares – Bio metrics – Contactless processing Collaboration between airlines, airports, government and key stakeholders – Funding and approvals Changes to physical airport and aircraft infrastructure – Passenger flows 1Safety, health – Spatial planning and hygiene Staged reopening of first domestic then international routes 2Core operations and social distancing Airports re-envisioned as ‘aerotropoli’ 3Regulations Human behaviour and and policies passenger confidence – Capitalise on the fact that people are increasingly using their smartphones Pre-departure testing – Interim: COVID-19 detecting dogs – Long-term digital healthpasses/ immunity passports GHD | Relaunching international travel | 2 In the wake of the Review of pandemic, passenger confidence will be literature crucial to influencing Safety, health and hygiene The COVID-19 vaccine will take time to be rolled out to the travel demand; rigorous vast majority of the population. Airports and airlines cannot wait until the end of this rollout for international borders to safety, health and open and therefore other security-screening measures need to be planned and implemented to assist in returning air travel. hygiene measures will A passenger survey conducted by the IATA in August 2020 as a response to COVID-19 emergency risk indicated that, therefore be necessary once the pandemic has subsided, only 15% of passengers would fly immediately, 33% of passengers would fly again to restore passenger within one to two months, and 52% would wait six months or more before they would fly again (IATA, 2020). Amadeus, a provider of global passenger servicing solutions, suggests assurance of their that new