WAHINGTON: The decision of the United States to raise restrictions on travelers who entered vaccinated against Covid-19 were filled with a breath of relief by the global airline sector, which had been handled as a body blow by a pandemic.
With traditional transatlantic flights among the biggest airlines most profitable for Europe, Monday’s announcement is “Tangguh News” for a sector that has tens of billions of euros for the past 18 months, said Head Benjamin Smith Benjamin Smith.
For most European flag operators – such as Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa – restrictions on long-distance routes across the Atlantic are very difficult to swallow.
Air France-KLM, for example, produces 40 percent of its sales of North Atlantic services, and for Lufthansa Germany, the proportion is 50 percent.
“Today’s news …
marks a historic moment,” said British Airways Sean Doyle.
“Our customers must now feel that the world is reopened to them and they can order their trips with confidence.” US airlines such as United, Delta and America are far more domestic oriented and less dependent on international services, which accounts for 25-30 percent of income.
But they also welcome the news.
“Today’s announcement marks a positive step in the recovery of our nation,” said the Head of the Airlines Industry Association for America, Nicholas Calio.
Sister Airlines organizations for Europe tweeted that indeed, “praise the decision”, which will “provide a urge that is needed for Trans-Atlantic Traffic & #Tourism and will reunite family and friends”.
The International Air Transportation Association, or IATA, which has 290 members of the accounting airline for 82 percent of global air travel, describes it as a “big advanced step”.
“This is a very good news for families and loved ones …
It’s good for millions of livelihoods in the US which depends on global tourism.
And it will increase economic recovery by allowing several major business travel markets,” IATA Director Willie Walsh .
said.
IATA has called for months now for tour restrictions “guided by science” and takes into account the status of tourist vaccination.
European airlines have hoped for the transatlantic route to reopen on time for the main summer holiday season.
But while Europe reopened its internal border, Washington remained cautious.
And this year’s transatlantic traffic is less than half of the levels recorded in 2019.
The US decision is “actually a little slower than we expected what we know about how effective vaccines.
We expect it in the summer,” said Colin Scarola.
, An analyst in CFRA research.
But even if the European airline is now ready to restart more machines to the Atlantic, recovery will remain slow, warn George Dimitroff, an analyst at a specialist air transportation data rises with the characteristics.
“We will not hope to see an increase in the flight schedule immediately, regardless of the busiest route,” he said.
“There may be additional capacity added around the year-end holiday period, but a more significant increase tends to come in March 2022 when the airline prepares their summer schedule,” he said.
Burkett Huey, an analyst at Morningsar, shows that “If you do not fill the plane at 75-80 percent, the trip will not be profitable.
You need travelers from both sides.” Dimitroff said he hoped “a business trip to start taking in the fourth quarter of this year …
because European business travelers would be able to visit our clients and suppliers.” But Scarola analysts are more careful.
“Even though it is clearly a step in the right direction, it really does not increase uncertainty around two main things that will be needed for international travel recovery: How will the pandemic play in the coming months …
and will most of the business trips disappear because Virtual meeting tools that are now available? “