International Air Transport Association urges federal government to reopen borders

As the spectre of a second wave of COVID-19 still looms in Canada, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is asking the Canadian government to open its borders.

IATA, which is headquartered in Montreal, believes that alternatives should be considered to minimize the impact of the crisis on the economy. The implementation of new measures could lead to the elimination of the mandatory quarantine for travellers entering in Canada.

According to the financial forecasts announced by IATA, the revenues of Canadian airlines will fall by 70% this year, putting at risk more than 410,500 jobs and 39 billion in GDP, considering the indirect repercussions on the whole tourism industry. ¹

Supported by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Air Canada and West Jet have already adopted pilot projects that allow passengers to be tested voluntarily at the Toronto and Vancouver airports.

Even though borders have gradually reopened all over the world, Canada is in no rush to follow the trend. To ensure that the compromises and the efforts made by Canadians over the past few months are not in vain and to prevent a new outbreak from occurring, the federal government continues to advise all Canadians to avoid non-essential trips outside of the country including cruise ship travels outside of Canada until further notice.

If border restrictions were to be lifted in the coming weeks, would Canadians be ready to travel given the context of a global pandemic? Questioned by polling firm Léger and the Association for Canadian Studies, 72% of Canadians said that they are not comfortable getting on a plane since several airlines have decided to reduce their own regulations in terms of physical distancing on board their planes. In addition, about one in four Canadians would not feel comfortable travelling to the United States or abroad until a vaccine against COVID-19 is found. ²

Despite the tempting offers that abound to boost the travel industry, insurance companies are still cautious about offering travel insurance to their customers. However, WestJet has recently announced that it will offer free COVID-19 insurance to all its customers who make a reservation on or after September 18, 2020 for these following destinations: Mexico, Caribbean, Europe, including United Kingdom.

If non-essential travels gradually resume in the next few weeks, it may affect the demand for freight transportation, particularly through an increase in demand for personal effects transportation. If Canadian airlines could achieve better financial health, it is a safe bet to believe that it will benefit the entire industry.

What about you, are you excited about planning your next trip abroad, or are you more in favour of maintaining border restrictions?