Commercial aviation today has been redesigned or evolving in order to prevent many airlines from remaining in the red. It is believed that of the 1000 airlines that exist in the sector approximately today, they may be reduced by 40 or 50 percent within 3 years so it would remain as 500 or 600 due to some of them merging with others or simply go bankrupt, leaving aside the large number of flights that existed before 2020.
Today it is estimated that more than half of the aircraft worldwide are on the ground, making this a problem with companies that leasing or renting their aircraft, this is because many of the operators have initiated the cancellation of the contracts or because they were about to end they have not been renewed, causing many of the companies that were engaged in this type of business to go into losses.
Many Aircraft less than 20 years old have had to be taken to places where they are cut up in order to be able to sell in parts, which is something unusual because normally they were expected to be flying for at least 25 years, which shows a very large reduction in the capacity that was available in the aeronautical sector before the pandemic. It is believed that by 2023 the sector will start to grow again but this will not reach the flight averages that existed in 2019.
The pandemic has made the informatics industry grow and the aids that this brings such as videoconferencing and teleworking, which makes the cost reductions for large companies visible, this leads to the reduction of business trips and also the reduction in frequent passengers traveling to different cities just for work.
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What measures are being taken to give greater security to passengers?
We have talked before about how the aeronautical industry has suffered from this pandemic and what they have done to stay afloat, but due to this, new protocols are being carried out, as they were done after September 11; Many airlines are building on the recommendations made by many organizations, and the experiences that have been had in different countries.
First of all, what has marked this industry much more is that already in many places, such as Spain, only people who have a boarding pass are allowed to enter the airport facilities; Only people with disabilities have been allowed a companion to facilitate movement in the airport facilities. All these measures make this possible to avoid a large number of contacts that could occur within the facilities.
Also for certain places like Spain, they are required to fill out health control forms, which if not done, will not allow passengers to board. All passengers are also being required to wear masks at all times, whether at airport facilities or during the flight.
Hand luggage in some countries has been reduced to the size that can fit under the seats, this is because some countries have prohibited the use of the upper compartments of the plane, the boarding is still the same, but as there are now many fewer passengers is much faster. Other than that, the flights are almost normal except that much more instructions are given about Covid-19, emphasizing that if there are any symptoms, report them.
Air inside the cabin
The air that circulates inside the cabin is recycled, so the planes have HEPA filters, which eliminate 99.99% of bacteria, in addition to the fact that the aircraft is disinfected on each flight to prevent any contagion inside; Because the use of masks is mandatory and is only allowed to be removed during the period of meals or drinks, it makes the circulating air as clean as possible, thus reducing the risks of contagion.
Other preventive measures
Also, many airlines have chosen to close the front toilets which are exclusively for the crew, in addition to limiting the movement of passengers in flight, that is to say, if a rear toilet is used the other will remain closed to avoid queues or interaction with others passengers; The crew personnel will always wear a mask and gloves, thus also preventing contact with other people, in addition, temperature tests and questions about the Covid are done before boarding.
What do you think of this topic? Do you think it is safe to fly on commercial airlines?
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Image by vladislav@munich via Flickr under Creative Commons license.
