Your weekly travel and aviation Quote-a

19 March, 2021

CTC - Corporate Travel Community brings you a roundup of the most thought-provoking and interesting comments from those industry leaders in the know.

British Airways CEO: A380 in future plans
British Airways CEO Sean Doyle said: "The A380 isn't flying at the minute but it is in our plans for the future rebuild of the airline", adding the return of the fleet "is something that we're not clear on".

IATA CEO: There will be no restart as long as quarantines remain
IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said that as long as governments maintain quarantine requirements, "there will be no restart". Mr de Juniac said that with "ample testing capacity, testing to travel is the first option", and as vaccination numbers increase, there is a growing population that should be able to travel without restriction. According to Mr de Juniac, a key element, in the form of secure digital standards for testing and vaccination certificates, is still missing.

Regional Express deputy chair: Government support for aviation and tourism 'really a Qantas package'
Regional Express deputy chairman John Sharp said the Australian Government support package for aviation and tourism is "really a Qantas package" as "They'll get 70 per cent of all the money and we'll get the scraps". Mr Sharp said: "I think it is a good concept, but I think it has some major unintended consequences, because it ignores … the fact that there are some fantastic tourism destinations in regional Australia that won't be serviced".

Spirit Airlines CEO: 'Costs are coming in towards the better end of our initial guide'
Spirit Airlines reported it expects adjusted EBITDA margin for 1Q2021 will "come in toward the better end" of its initial guidance range of -45% to -55% provided on 10-Feb-2021. President and CEO Ted Christie stated total revenue for Feb-2021 came in "softer than we expected". He said revenue for the second half of Mar-2021 is "booking better than we initially expected", adding: "Costs are coming in towards the better end of our initial guide".

Austrian Airlines welcomes plans for 'Digital Green Certificate' for travel within Europe
Austrian Airlines welcomed the European Commission's announcement of its plans for Europe-wide "Green Passport" under its 'Digital Green Certificate' system. Austrian Airlines CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech said the initiative "represents a significant step towards restoring freedom of travel in Europe" as the current patchwork of country-specific rules "weakens the EU compared to other regions".

Australia's Deputy Prime Minister: Travel bubbles with Japan and South Korea may be established
Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said after a Singapore travel bubble is established, travel arrangements with South Korea or Japan may be established. Mr McCormack added: "Importantly...we get students back in, we get returning Australians back in".

Clean Sky 2: EU's climate neutrality goal a huge challenge and opportunity for aviation
Clean Sky 2 executive director Axel Krein, speaking at the Académie de l'air et de l'espace, said the EU's goal for climate neutrality by 2050 "is a huge challenge for the aviation community but also a new opportunity". He noted that "net zero" emissions for aviation is possible, and "hydrogen can play a significant role, but we need to invest in research and innovation to get there".

AGS Airports CEO issues concern regarding airlines informing Ministers 'they'll be checking out'
AGS Airports CEO Derek Provan said carriers have informed Scottish Ministers "they'll be checking out of Scotland and taking with them the routes we've spent decades building up", adding "This could mean having to travel to England in future to go on holiday". Mr Provan said it has been more than "one month since the Cabinet Secretary for Transport announced plans to establish an aviation working group to help the sector here in Scotland", adding a date for the meeting has not been secured.

Cabo Verde Airlines CEO: Vaccination rate the main factor in determining resumption of operations
Cabo Verde Airlines CEO Erlendur Svavarsson said the COVID-19 vaccination rate is the main factor in determining demand and the reopening of borders, enabling the carrier to resume operations. He said the airline is working to resume Europe and US services as soon as conditions permit. Mr Svavarsson predicted travel and tourism growth will only return from 3Q2021.

AEF deputy director: 'cutting back on flying is easily the best way of reducing aviation emissions'
Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) deputy director Cait Hewitt stated "Any government incentives for use of alternative fuels for aviation will need very clear and transparent guidelines to ensure that they actually cut aviation emissions". Ms Hewitt said international aviation emissions in carbon budgets is a way to ensure proper accountability for the sector, adding: "cutting back on flying is easily the best way of reducing aviation emissions".