The uncertainty of a post-Covid-19 airspace makes it even more difficult for the airline industry to forecast its recovery.
Despite the prevailing uncertainty, what is certain is that the nature of air travel has changed forever. Around the world, airlines are considering reconfiguring seating to ensure that physical distancing is maintained and customers are safe.
Chief marketing officer of low-cost airline FlySafair, Kirby Gordon, says the pain of the grounding of the company’s fleet is immediate. For every month that an aircraft is grounded, the company forgoes seven months of profit, “one for the month it stood, and six more months just to earn enough to pay back the bills for that month it was standing”.
“Nobody will be able to last this way forever, and the longer we remain grounded like this, the tougher it’s going to be to recover,” he says. Gordon says the company could be using as little as 30% of its fleet when the skies reopen for travel. FlySafair will then slowly ramp up its flights as demand grows.
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