Middle Eastern airlines to lose $4.8 billion in 2020
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced Wednesday that airlines in the Middle East will lose $4.8 billion this year as a result of the impact of the pandemic, and hoped that the industry would recover by 2024.
In a statement, IATA said that airlines in the region are expected to lose about $4.8 billion by the end of this year and about $37 per passenger by 2020.
It also indicated that airline revenues will be reduced by 56%, while the number of passengers will decrease by 54%, although "the industry is expected to recover by 2024.
In the note, IATA called on governments in the Middle East to harmonize biotechnology-based safety and health measures as flights resume, since "inconsistent application" of these protocols, along with border restrictions, "are affecting the industry in the region.
"Those flying for the first time since the restrictions were lifted are facing a wide variety of biosecurity measures and procedures, which is causing confusion among passengers and delaying recovery," IATA Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Region Muhammad Ali Albakri said in the note. He said the tests must be accurate, fast, cost-effective and conducted before travel.
In this regard, IATA said that there is a wide disparity in coronavirus testing requirements among countries in the region, while the cost of testing can also be "confusing to passengers," since in some cases they have to undergo tests for boarding and landing, a process that can exceed $150.
"As we see in some countries in the region, (COVID-19 tests) have unintended consequences, cause more problems than they solve and will most likely limit the recovery of air travel demand," Albakri said.
In recent weeks, many countries in the Middle East have opened their borders and resumed flights to and from their countries, although others have re-imposed more restrictions in the run-up to the Feast of Sacrifice or Aid al-Adha, which Muslims celebrate at the end of the month.
