One-third of air travellers surveyed by IATA say they will avoid flying to reduce the chances of catching Covid-19. Nearly 60% of respondents in an 11-country passenger survey conducted during the first week in June say they have avoided air travel since the beginning of the pandemic. Survey participants have taken at least one flight since July 2019.
Passengers' concerns that air travel will expose them to the coronavirus may very will intensify in the coming months. In the weeks since the survey was conducted the number of worldwide coronavirus cases has accelerated, particularly in the Americas and Southeast Asia, WHO data shows. On 30 June, the European Union kept the USA on its list of countries outside the bloc that do not meet specific epidemiological criteria, effectively extending its ban on US travellers. Within the USA, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut are requiring travellers from states with increases in new Covid-19 cases to self-quarantine for 14 days. IATA data from the second half of June shows that as the number of worldwide coronavirus cases has accelerated, net bookings, which had improved slightly in May, are in decline again. “Quarantine is a demand killer," IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac states. "Keeping borders closed prolongs the pain by causing economic hardship well beyond airlines." Participants in the IATA survey rank sitting next to someone who might be infected with Covid-19 as their top concern related to being on an aircraft, followed by using restrooms and breathing the air on board an aircraft. The top concern related to being at an airport is being in a crowded bus/train on the way to the aircraft, followed by queuing and using airport restrooms. Survey participants cited Covid-19 screening at departure airports as the measure that would make them feel safe the most, followed by mandatory wearing of face masks and social distancing on board aircraft. Less than half of passengers surveyed say they are willing to take specific actions that might prevent them from infecting others with the coronavirus. Just 43% of passengers say they would undergo temperature checks, 42% say they would wear a mask while travelling, 40% say they would check in to flights online to minimise interactions at an airport, 39% say they would take a Covid-19 test prior to travelling and 38% say they would sanitise their own seating area. Nearly half of those surveyed (45%) say they will resume air travel within a few months of the pandemic subsiding. In a similar survey conducted by IATA in April, 61% of said they will resume air travel within a few months of the pandemic subsiding.

Source: Cirium

Cathay Pacific Group is considering parking some aircraft outside of its home base in Hong Kong to protect them from the city's hot and humid summer. The company tells Cirium it is looking into this "for operation management reasons". "At the present time our aircraft are parked at Hong Kong International Airport, primarily in remote bays, taxiways and other operational areas made available at the airport," it says. "We are exploring alternative locations beyond Hong Kong’s humid summer climate that can provide appropriate conditions for our aircraft while they are not flying. This is a prudent decision from an asset management perspective." Cathay did not specify the number of aircraft it is considering parking outside Hong Kong. Newswire Reuters, citing an anonymous source, reported on 6 July that Cathay is examining plans to store more than 50 widebodies in drier locations like Dubai and Australia. Cirium has not independently verified that report. The aircraft being considered for transfer overseas are from "a number of different fleets" within the group. Its airlines include mainline carrier Cathay Pacific Airways, regional arm Cathay Dragon and budget carrier HK Express. It adds: "Meanwhile, as previously announced, we will be conducting a comprehensive review of our operations and making a recommendation on the optimum size and shape of the group to the board by the fourth quarter of this year."

Source: Cirium

ATR has embarked on flight testing to obtain Chinese certification for its ATR 42-600 turboprop. The airframer says the initial 3h test was conducted from Toulouse’s Francazal airport, which is located some 10km south of the city’s main Blagnac airport. China’s civil aviation administration CAAC co-operated with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency for the 3 July test. EASA pilots were on board the turboprop with ATR’s own. Certification of the type, an enhanced and modernised version of the ATR 42-500, will enable deliveries to Chinese operators. ATR says sub-100-seat regional aircraft account for just 2.5% of the Chinese airline fleet, compared with around 25% globally. It claims that the ATR 42-600 configured with 30 seats would offer an “ideal solution” for Chinese connectivity. Chinese testing of the variant will provide a lift to the company, which is preparing to halve its production, as a result of the air transport crisis, a measure which will result in just over 200 job losses.

Source: Cirium