The future of experiences
The shift in guest touchpoints for experiences post-Covid is not just about safety; it’s about new forms of delivery, more deliberate choices by travellers and the rise of virtual and hybrid experiences that can enhance experiences even further.
Heavier doses of social distancing and sanitisation, more intimate experiences in smaller groups, a proclivity for less congested spaces and new forms of delivery and new ways of immersion will shape the future of travel experiences, said tours and activities specialists throughout Asia.
Shifts in guest touchpoints
Safety, sanitation and health measures are impacting the entire continuum of travel experiences from start to finish, leading many operators to implement advanced bookings, e-maps and cashless payments. In many cases, operators are leveraging technology and digitalisation to create what can be deemed “contactless touchpoints” for equally memorable experiences.
“Aside from making processes safer, digitalisation also allows us to enhance the overall visitor experience,” said Patrick Lee, sales and business development director at Singapore’s One Faber Group, drawing an example of its Singapore Cable Car attraction which now has a “geo-location commentary system” that functions as a personal tour guide in every cabin.
At the Siam Piwat Group’s ICONSIAM shopping mall in Bangkok, whose basement contains an indoor floating market of eats from around Thailand, changing their touchpoints has meant engaging shoppers right in their homes. “Our Luxury Chat and Shop is a first-ever service that no other shopping malls have operated before, and it has become a benchmark service and case study that draws attention from many world brands,” shared a spokesperson for ICONSIAM.
Ethical travel operator Local Alike has pointed out that the biggest operational change is in how they transport guests, having solved the issue of limited van capacity due to social distancing by encouraging guests to drive to the destination themselves.
“It’s not only safer for them; it reduces the costs of the tour so guests are happier with the price,” said Chitpol Watcharapan, senior director, international programmes at Local Alike.
To cater to FITs growing demand for self-exploration, Klook in May 2020 launched a dedicated private car rental page.
Rise of virtual and hybrid experiences
People’s hesitance to step out the door has led to a rise in virtual and hybrid experiences and forced operators to get creative with their delivery, creating many new business opportunities for leisure and business events.
Airbnb in particular seized on the market space for virtual experiences early on. Having temporarily paused its Airbnb Experiences offering globally from mid-March to May to support social distancing efforts, the company launched Airbnb Online Experiences in April 2020.
“We had 50,000 seats booked within the first two months since launch,” shared Parin Mehta, director, Asia-Pacific, Airbnb Experiences. “The online experiences are now our fastest growing product (for leisure and teambuilding purposes).”
Singapore’s Sentosa is also playing with what they term “phy-gital” formats.
“On the consumer front, we collaborated with our Island Partners (tenants) to roll out several free online offerings, such as the virtual Sentosa on Animal Crossing: New Horizons and other leisure experiences like video conferencing backgrounds and Yoga by the Beach,” shared Lynette Ang, chief marketing officer of Sentosa Development Corporation.
Prioritising safety and social distancing has also meant a predictable downsizing of groups.
“Where I see the permanent tectonic shift is that before we comfortably had groups of over 40 people on a tour. I think those will taper off a bit,” opined Jason Loe, founder of Tribe Tours.
“The other change has to come from operators and activities themselves…in terms of the delivery means,” he added.
To this end, Singapore’s Tribe Tours, which has previously gained a name for its cutting-edge experiences such as its Good Morning Singapore and Mr Lee Kuan Yew guided tours, has launched a new product: livestream hybrid experiences which allow large groups of people to participate in the safety of their homes.
The most popular ones so far feature a livestream behind the scenes of famous traditional food factories paired with an ingredient box – delivered to participants’ homes during the livestream – allowing guests to cook along under the guidance of factory chefs on screen.
It debuted to an immensely positive reception. “Since our launch in mid-September, the tour has been fully booked out every weekend,” said Loe, who also saw corporate interest in the tours for teambuilding.
Another very popular livestream addition is Tribe’s escape room-style tour in Singapore’s Chinatown where participants can direct and solve a murder mystery and learn the history of Chinatown through the eyes of characters in the outdoor puzzle adventure.
All livestreams are limited to 30 minutes “to keep it entertaining (and punchy because our attention span online is not as focused”, said Loe.
Intimate, secluded experiences are hot
Klook described travellers post-pandemic as being “more measured and deliberate,” and points to travellers gravitating toward “smaller-group trips that are more intimate and personalised” – a growing opportunity for activity aggregators like Klook, whose predominant focus has been on serving the FIT segment.
Klook has witnessed a stronger demand for outdoor adventurous offerings, especially in Taiwan which resumed domestic travel early. “Our traffic data in Taiwan for outdoor and island-hopping activities surged 10 times in June this year,” said CS Soong, vice president, corporate development.
Local Alike’s Chitpol stated that the desire for seclusion and the outdoors paves the way for the rise of community-based tourism (CBT). “The capacity of local communities is in itself too small for mainstream tourism, which automatically reduces risk. In the past, we may have looked at large mass markets as desirable; now it turns out that the smaller capacity of CBT helps it to shine because it means less health risk,” he told TTG Show Daily.
Tourism investment zones part of Malaysia’s 10-year plan to revive sector
The National Tourism Policy 2020-2030, recently launched by Malaysia’s prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, will see the creation of special tourism investment zones to attract more local and international investors as well as an intensified focus on making Malaysia a top-of-mind ecotourism destination, to regenerate the industry ravaged by the pandemic.
In his speech, Muhyiddin said he was confident that the National Tourism Policy would be able to ensure the survival of the country’s tourism industry.
The policy would be implemented through six key strategic thrusts, namely, governance transformation, creation of investment zones for inclusive tourism projects, intensifying the digitisation of tourism, enriching the experience of tourists, strengthening commitment to sustainable tourism and increasing human capital capacity in all tourism sub-sectors.
In 2019, Malaysia’s tourism industry contributed 15.9 per cent to the country’s GDP, valued at RM240.2 billion (US$59.5 billion).
The labour force of the tourism sector recorded 3.6 million people who contributed 23.6 per cent to total employment. This means that for every four jobs in Malaysia, one of them is related to the tourism industry.
Commenting on the 10-year tourism policy, Malaysian Association of Hotels CEO, Yap Lip Seng, said it needs to be accepted and empowered across various ministries and agencies, and not just be another project paper for the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture (MOTAC) alone.
“MOTAC must be given sufficient autonomy to ensure the objectives under the policy are achieved within the set time frame,” he added.
He described the tourism industry as a complicated sector that involves various stakeholders, both public and private, and very often overlapping jurisdiction with other government agencies with conflicting priorities.
He said: “The National Tourism Policy must be upheld across and be prioritised for it to be relevant and effective. A clear example would be the need to drive international arrivals versus immigration controls. The government must realise that relaxation of immigration restrictions (visa requirements) plays a major role in driving tourist arrivals. While immigration concerns are valid too, it should be a matter of enforcement and not upfront restrictions.”
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents president, KL Tan, welcomed the plan, but suggested that, in light of the current uncertainty and global economic landscape, that the roadmap be segmented into various phases according to the dynamic business environment.
He said: “The immediate first three years would be resetting tourism as the whole tourism ecosystem is on the brink of collapse. Reimagining tourism destination strategies, digitalisation, infrastructure development, upskilling, rebranding and repackaging should be emphasised, consistent with the new travelling trends and patterns. The roadmap needs to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to realign and reinvent towards a better and sustainable tourism for the future.”
Critical structural changes in both the government and private sectors will facilitate tourism recovery and lift Malaysia’s appeal as a tourist destination, he noted.
The baseline initiative reflecting the sector needs should be spearheaded by the MOTAC, he added, while other government agencies should strive to align their objectives with the ministry’s.
He said: “One of the key areas that has yet to be effectively addressed is governance transformation – local legitimate tourism stakeholders have been disadvantaged for years and we hope that this thrust for transformation will finally put us on equal competitive footing globally.
“With the thrust towards digitalisation, the government must prioritise the role of local stakeholders by looking seriously into developing locally established assets and balance engagement with foreign platforms and entities.”
IATA unveils key design elements of IATA Travel Pass
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has unveiled key design elements of the IATA Travel Pass, a mobile app to help travellers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for Covid-19 testing or vaccine information.
Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO, said: “Testing is the immediate solution to safely reopen borders and re-connect people. And eventually, this is likely to transition to vaccination requirements. In either case, a secure system to manage Covid-19 testing or vaccination information is critical.
“The IATA Travel Pass is a solution that both travelers and governments can trust. And it is being built with data security, convenience and verification as top priorities.”
Scheduled for release in 1Q2021 for Android and iPhone, the IATA Travel Pass will boast three critical design elements:
1. Putting travellers in control of their personal information for top level data security and data privacy. The IATA Travel Pass stores encrypted data including verified test or vaccination results on the mobile device of the traveller, who controls dissemination of information to airlines and authorities. No central database or data repository is storing the information, thereby, ensuring the highest standards for data privacy.
2. Global standards recognised by governments to ensure verified identity and test/vaccine information.
a. Verified identity: A government issued ePassport is used to verify the identity of the user. It also serves to create a digital representation of the user’s passport to allow the information to be sent electronically in a secured way that is linked to their verified identity.
b. Verified test results or vaccine information: Currently, the main vaccination requirement for entry into some countries is for yellow fever. Under the International Health Regulations, this is managed by the “yellow card” or International Certificate of Vaccination and Prophylaxis. The World Health Organization is developing digital standards that will make these vastly more secure and will dramatically reduce fraud. When ready, the IATA Travel Pass will be able to accommodate such new global standards.
Until a Covid-19 vaccine is widely available to the general public, the priority is on Covid-19 testing. Laboratories have well-established safety standards for managing and verifying test results to individuals. IATA is partnering with selected and established laboratories to securely link their test results with the verified identity of the IATA Travel Pass holder.
3. Convenience and biosafety will be enhanced with integration into contactless travel processes. The ICAO CART recommendations for biosafety include the use of contactless travel processes to reduce the risk of virus transmission when documents need to be exchanged in the travel process.
The industry has been developing contactless travel processes as part of a One ID transformation programme for several years. The IATA Travel Pass digital identity management module uses the principles of One ID (which are, in turn, based on ICAO standards). For the passenger, this means that the IATA Travel Pass will also unlock the potential for convenient contactless travel processes from check-in to boarding.
IATA is developing the IATA Travel Pass in four independent modules that can interact with each other. These modules will cover registries for regulatory entry requirements and labs/test centres, verified certificate issuance, digital identity and the possibility for passengers to share their tests results along their journey via their mobile device. Open standards enable the modules to be used as one solution or to complement capabilities being developed by other solutions providers.
ASM releases 2021 predictions on air travel recovery
Global route development consultancy ASM has made 10 predictions for 2021, including forecasts that consumer economic pressure will restrain air fare rises and low-cost carriers (LCC) will make major market share gains.
ASM, which organises the Route events and also provides data analytics and training services, is optimistic 2021 will mark the start of “the recovery in earnest”.
Managing director David Stroud who produced ASM’s reports in its Route to Recovery Route Development for 2021 series, said: “Of the 10 predictions*, I think the point about testing regimes replacing quarantine will have the most impact in Asia.
He continued: “As we move through 2021, my belief is that testing regimes will improve further and as vaccination programmes continue to roll out, the border restriction will progressively ease and markets will open more, driving routes and traffic.”
ASM’s tracking of border restrictions shows only six per cent of corridors that are open do not require a quarantine or self-isolation period out of a total of 49,266 intra-state borders.
Stroud noted projections for next year show global passenger traffic reaching 71 per cent of that for 2019, because fast forward to this time next year, testing capabilities should have advanced to deliver on accuracy, speed and unit cost.
“When this is achieved, testing will be a natural part of the passenger journey and will reduce the impact of time and capacity demands on infrastructure,” he added.
On the changing traveller mindset, Stroud commented: “In 2021, passenger trust and confidence will move away from the issues surrounding health and wellbeing, to the airline schedule itself, with travellers asking – ‘Will my booked flight stay in place? Will airlines need to change operations last minute, altering flight times, even cancelling? What happens to my booking if this happens, and, most important, how safe is my money?’”
Passenger demand will be driven by the two forces of personal and corporate economics, he noted, and whether consumers have enough disposal income to commit to fly for VFR or vacation purposes, and if businesses either have the budgets, or given the prevalence of Teams and Zoom, have the inclination to spend on business travel.
Stroud said: “We predict that fundamentally those airlines that can keep fares low and competitive will secure more and more share of the market going forward, and the immediate future looks stronger for the LCCs.
“While the LCC market in Asia may not have the same market shares as in Europe and the US, all countries and markets have been growing their LCC presence, and aside from specific LCCs, many of the legacy carriers have been developing LCC brands,” Stroud said. He also noted that LCCs have been the most agile in trying to reopen markets in 2020 and were best equipped to focus on operating cost reduction and less fixed with regard to operating bases, and less wedded to connectivity.
Also, aircraft fleet developments – the Boeing 737 Max, the Airbus 321 and their engine variants and long-range models – are more suited to LCC operations, with reduced unit costs and flexibility around sector lengths, he pointed out.
If consumer and business spending power is reduced, they will gravitate to lower fares, Stroud said, adding: “All of these factors for me are why LCCs will make more gains in markets than legacy carriers, even though big trunk routes and connecting hubs should be strong in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“This trend plus the reasons above will accelerate in Asia, and aircraft like the A321LR is also suited to the longer range required in many Asia markets.”
*The following are ASM’s 10 predictions for 2021:
• A number of vaccination programmes will start to be rolled out, raising consumer confidence
• Test regimes will replace quarantine protocols, as such, borders will start to open
• There will be further consolidation of airlines and more airlines globally will be under state ownership
• There will be consolidation of airports, some closures and mothballing
• Tourism will be the driving force of air travel. Summer 2021 will be the season when a new baseline of schedules and operations is set
• Traffic demand will surge through the Summer vacation period, nearing 2019 levels
• Physical events, conferences and exhibitions, will re-establish themselves and become the initial catalyst for the re-emergence of business travel
• Consumer economic pressure will restrain air fare rises
• Low-cost carriers will make major gains of market share
• The airline-airport-destination relationship will bond more closely together, driven by the collective need to collaborate to secure traffic recovery
New tourism minister for Indonesia
Indonesia President Joko Widodo’s cabinet reshuffle has produced six new ministers and five new vice ministers, including a fresh minister of tourism and creative economy/head of Tourism and Creative Economy Board.
Sandiaga Uno, a politician and former vice governor of Jakarta with a prominent business background, has taken over from Wishnutama Kusubandio, who has held the post since October 2019.
Speaking during the hand-over ceremony on December 23, Sandiaga revealed that his first assignment from the president was to have the country’s five super-priority destinations ready for tourism business, in terms of infrastructure, cultural attractions, service readiness and talents, within a year.
His second assignment was to create calendar of events, ranging from small scale to national and mega world-class events.
Meanwhile, Sandiaga shared that Indonesia vice president Ma’ruf Amin had emphasised on the importance of making the creative economic sector the engine of tourism development and job creation. As such, product innovations like halal tourism and village tourism were areas of focus for the vice president.
While Sandiaga acknowledged that tourism recovery would be very challenging amid the pandemic, he expressed commitment to the ministry’s development programmes and to overcoming the crisis.
To achieve his goals, he has developed a strategy of technology innovation and will be focusing on health and safety as priority, and will be collaborating with all related parties.
Opportunity in crisis
Even as the pandemic rages on, Santika Indonesia Hotels and Resorts (SIHR) continues to seize new growth opportunities, positioning itself to capitalise on an eventual upturn.
With an eye on long-term potential, this year, the hotel chain signed two new hotel management contracts, and is on the prowl for more, according to Sudarsana, its corporate general manager of business development and marketing communications.
He reasoned: “It takes two to three years to develop a hotel so the idea is to build the hotels during this (lull) period and have them ready when business returns.”
The hotel group also plans to open two out of six hotels targeted this year, with Hotel Santika Bukittinggi in West Sumatra welcoming guests on October 18, followed by Amaris Hotel Tasikmalaya in West Java on November 11.
Sudarsana let on that hotel occupancy in the city of Bukittinggi is still above 50 per cent, while its existing Hotel Santika Tasikmalaya is faring well, allowing room for growth.
Sudarsana added that the company, which now manages 113 hotels, is on track to operating 150 hotels by 2024.
As more consumers turn to digital platforms to meet their needs amid the pandemic, SIHR has shift its focus online in a bid to grow direct booking sales from corporate and FIT travellers.
“We have done two online travel fairs during this pandemic where MyValue (the hotel’s loyalty programme) members can buy room vouchers which are valid up to May 2021. The response has been positive,” he said, adding that the programme targeted the domestic market to generate cash flow for the group’s properties.
In 2019, SIHR launched MySantika, an online booking app available for its MyValue members.
“We want to focus and make it our new unique selling point (USP), in addition to the Indonesian hospitality service and our authentic local cuisine which have been our USP over the years,” he said.
How travel agents can seize the moment this holiday season
Brought to you by Amadeus
As 2021 fast approaches, there are many challenges and unknowns that still lie ahead with Covid-19. Even with the advent of a vaccine, there is no clear date of when international travel will resume, with the delay of bubbles between countries like Hong Kong and Singapore underlining a hurdle to travel recovery.
What we do know is that millions of travellers are out there dreaming of their next adventure. The majority of travellers in Asia-Pacific are steadfast in their commitment to resume their leisure travels by 4Q2021, with 70 per cent indicating a “strong desire” to travel domestically once restrictions ease.
From our recent Destination X: Where to Next survey, we have a very clear picture of what travellers are willing to consider at the moment. We can also see the potential for travel sellers to materialise the bigger role in helping consumers navigate through all the twists and turns of their trip planning experience.
Here are some insights for travel sellers looking at new opportunities this holiday season:
- Travel planning is alive and strong
Relationships are a significant driver fueling the desire to resume travel for travellers in the Asia-Pacific region. More than half of travellers want to reconnect with family or friends, whether in familiar or unfamiliar surroundings. Only 8 per cent of travellers surveyed expressed interest in group, or guided tour packages of more than 50 people.
Travel spontaneity is also a thing of the past, with majority of Asia-Pacific travellers seeking thoughtful guidance over a period of time before they book their next getaway. For travel sellers, this means incorporating multi-touch or multi-channel to help nurture or shape their customers’ future travel purchase decisions.
- Covid-19 is top of mind
The severity of the Covid-19 health crisis at the destination is now one of the most critical factors influencing purchasing decisions for travellers. More than two-thirds of travellers rank the health and safety measures of airports, airlines and hotels highly when it comes to planning trips.
As the pandemic poses a conundrum to commercial flights, travel sellers will need to work with airlines to demonstrate that it is safe to travel again. New technology such as mobile boarding passes; coupled with policies like mask compliance, and removing middle seats, could help to boost confidence.
- Timing and support is everything
As travellers contemplate exploring new destinations again, their trip planning complexity is becoming increasingly challenging. New regulations around quarantines, visas and more, plus everchanging flight availability requires a greater pool of knowledge, experience and time to ensure the best outcome.
Our survey shows that travellers in Asia-Pacific now place a higher premium on problem solving. Travel sellers that can provide support and look for opportunities to continuously engage customers with hyper-personalised recommendations can help mitigate unforeseen issues and build trust and loyalty over time.
This holiday season, travellers across Asia-Pacific will try and make the most of what they can do to fulfil their holiday needs. Travel sellers that can provide the right information on Covid-19 status and government restrictions and policies in a timely manner, will help the industry rebound in the New Year.
Princess Cruises unveils 35 Japan itineraries for 2022
Come summer 2022, Princess Cruises will sail out of Tokyo (Yokohama) and Kobe on diverse itineraries spanning from the southern tropical islands of Okinawa to the northernmost island of Hokkaido.
Now on sale, the cruise line’s 2022 Summer Japan programme offers 35 departures onboard Diamond Princess during May through September 2022, covering 31 destinations across four countries. Cruises range from five to 19 days, featuring 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the historic monuments of ancient Kyoto, Buddhist monuments and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.
For guests with more time to explore Japan, the Highlights of Japan cruise tour combines an eight-, nine- or 10-day cruise with two nights in Kyoto and three nights in Tokyo.
The season offers nine opportunities to visit local festivals, such as Kyoto Gion Festival featuring massive, handcrafted “yama” and “hoko” floats, and Kumano Fireworks Festival showcasing a display of 10,000 fireworks.
Other featured festivals include Osaka Tenjin Festival, Aomori Nebuta Festival, Akita Kanto Festival, Kochi Yosakoi Dance Festival and Tokushima Awa Dance Festival.
In Tokyo, guests can enjoy shopping in the Ginza district or exploring the Imperial Palace plaza. The 2022 season features the maiden port call to Hitachinaka, for access to the shrines and temples of Nikko. Ten ports offer More Ashore late-night stays including Akita, Aomori, Kochi, Osaka and Tokushima on Summer Festival dates.
Guests can also lap up the serenity in Kanazawa’s Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens; experience a traditional tea ceremony while overlooking Mt. Fuji; or enjoy a good soak in an onsen (hot spring).
Built in Japan, Diamond Princess offers a cruise experience connected to the local Japanese culture. Guests dine on authentic cuisine at Kai Sushi, soak in a traditional Izumi bath, and enjoy folkloric shows and regional entertainment.
In 2022, Diamond Princess will feature the cruise line’s exclusive Princess MedallionClass Experience, delivering highly personalised service and enabling touchless interactive experiences and entertainment.
ITB China plans two 2021 events
The ITB China organisers will launch an ITB China Special Edition in 2021, a two-day business event which will make its debut in Beijing from May 7-8, delivering an innovative showcase for business exchanges while providing a stage for sharing industry insights for the travel industry.
The newly designed and hybrid event, which is expected to attract 1,500 participants, will feature pre-scheduled meetings with Chinese buyers, networking events as well as a series of content sessions by industry experts, focusing on new traveller demands and travel trends.
Additionally, the ITB China Special Edition will offer suppliers a solution for remote participation with an easy-to-exhibit package. Keynote speeches and panel discussions during the conferences will be accessible to a global audience online through instant live-streaming, with simultaneous AI-based translation in different languages offered for all content sessions.
The announcement of a special edition of the annual trade show follows the premiere of the ITB China Industry Meetup event series in six major cities across China from September to November 2020. It also comes on the back of traveller confidence recovering swiftly in China, with ITB China’s general manager David Axiotis saying that the organisation expects “a promising outlook on cross-border travel and emerging business opportunities” at the time of the event.
Meanwhile, the regular edition of ITB China 2021, alongside its accompanying ITB China Conference, which was originally scheduled for May 13-15, has been postponed to November 24-26.
Set to be held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Centre, ITB China will keep revitalising business relations between the Chinese and global travel industry, and help global suppliers and Chinese agencies to chart the newly developed travel business landscape in China.
The fallout from the pandemic has wiped out 21 years of global airline passenger traffic growth in a matter of months, reducing traffic this year to levels last seen in 1999, according to a recent report by Cirium.
In comparison to last year, passenger traffic is estimated to be down 67 per cent in 2020, due to global travel restrictions implemented to curb Covid-19, showed the aviation data firm’s Airline Insights Review 2020.
TravelAt the peak of the disruption in April, scheduled passenger flights dropped significantly to just 13,600 globally on April 25, compared to the year’s busiest day on January 3 when Cirium tracked over 95,000 scheduled passenger flights globally. This marks an extraordinary 86 per cent reduction in flights.
From January to December, airlines operated 49 per cent fewer flights in 2020 compared to 2019 – down from 33.2 million flights to just 16.8 million (to December 20).
Domestic travel was down 40 per cent this year, from 21.5 million flights in 2019, while international flights suffered an even more precipitous drop as they were 68 per cent below the 11.7 million flights tracked the year before.
Jeremy Bowen, CEO of Cirium, said: “This severe setback shows the true extent of the challenge faced by the struggling aviation sector as it has sought to reset itself in the new post-Covid-19 era.”
Global passenger traffic figures reveal a plunge of over two-thirds (67 per cent) versus the previous year, with Asia-Pacific continuing to handle over a third of world passenger traffic.
The majority of the scheduled passenger flights flown this year have been domestic – totalling 13 million (77 per cent) with a mere 3.8 million (23 per cent) flying internationally, due to closed borders and limited business travel.
Cirium data analysis recorded Southwest Airlines operating the most flights globally (and in North America), with 854,800 flights in total. Meanwhile, China Southern Airlines (487,700 flights) topped the tables in the Asia-Pacific, Ryanair in Europe (205,000 flights), Azul in Latin America (134,000 flights) and Qatar Airways (82,400 flights) in the Middle East and Africa.
On the ground, Atlanta was the world’s busiest airport, handling over 245,000 arriving flights during 2020, while the world’s busiest air route in both directions was within South Korea, between Seoul and the island of Jeju with 70,700 flights operated.
Forward planning for airlines has dramatically contracted from six- to 12-months for flight scheduling to just six- to eight-weeks – forcing carriers to be nimbler and adapt with greater speed to the rapidly changing rules and travel restrictions around the world.
Airlines have been forced to drastically reduce the number of aircraft still in service, with those still flying operating significantly fewer hours.
For example, narrowbody aircraft operated just six to seven hours a day in 3Q2020 compared to nine to 10 hours a day in the same period last year.
While up to 30 per cent of the global passenger fleet remains in storage, there are signs of recovery on the horizon, with only 10 per cent of short-haul Airbus A320neo aircraft currently in storage, showing narrowbody aircraft leading the recovery and domestic and short-haul travel returning first. In fact, the world’s most used aircraft type was the Airbus A320, with Cirium tracking 5.49 million flights throughout 2020.
Bowen said: “Airlines will have a way before returning to 2019 levels, particularly as international travel is significantly down and showing only slow signs of recovery, mainly (in) China and South-east Asia.
“But Cirium is confident aviation will weather this difficult and terrible year and emerge in better shape – with younger, more fuel-efficient aircraft and right-sized fleets – to gradually navigate their way to recovery in the years ahead.”
The seven key trends outlined by The Cirium Airline Insights Review 2020 for next year include: