Airports Council International (ACI) World and International Air Transport Association (IATA) officials are encouraging governments to grant financial relief to aid the airline industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The financial impact of the current crisis is unlike anything we have ever seen and requires urgent action by governments to assist the aviation industry to protect jobs, ensure essential operations, and plan for recovery,” ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said. “Urgent tax relief and direct financial assistance that is to the benefit of the entire aviation ecosystem is needed to help preserve millions of jobs, protect essential operations, and foster a balanced recovery.
Gittens said preserving the continuity of operations for airports and airlines and protecting aviation jobs today will result in a faster economic recovery tomorrow.
The organizations maintain industry revenues are falling beyond the ability of cost-cutting measures to mitigate. Airports and airlines continue to face a financial liquidity crisis.
Taxation relief, including alleviation of payroll taxes, corporate taxes, concession fees, or other government incomes from the industry, as well as loans, loan guarantees, or direct support to maintaining financial liquidity, are among the measures sought.
“Governments will depend on aviation to be ready to lead an economic recovery when this pandemic is behind us,” IATA’s Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said. “Governments must act now with financial lifelines that only they can provide for airlines and airports to see them through these extraordinary times. Airlines and airports are in this together. The more financially stable our airport partners are, the more they can help the industry to drive a recovery in air travel that will jump-start the global economy.”