ACI World says travellers expect new health measures to cut COVID-19 flight risks

Airports Council International (ACI) World on 4 November published its ASQ Global Traveller Survey that revealed half of those surveyed want to travel again soon which the association said can be attributed to a strong level of confidence in the environment safety provided by airports and airlines. Airlines like Singapore Air have had to ground thousands of planes. (PHOTO: Steve Strike/Outback Photographics) The survey found that 48 percent of travellers considered themselves likely to travel within the next three months but, despite this eagerness to travel, the recovery is dependent on a multitude of factors. Passengers expect that new measures are put in place to address health risks, including mandatory masks for passengers and staff, COVID-19 testing prior to the trip, hand sanitising stations, and the development of a more contactless airport experience. In the long run, the survey found an overall slight decrease in travel frequency is expected and a shift in the main reason to travel with slightly less business travellers, and more people traveling for personal reasons. This will have an impact on the proportion of traffic type with domestic traffic helping recovery in the short term. “One of the keys to recovery will be the aviation industry’s understanding of the changing needs of passengers and ACI’s new survey provides insight into how COVID-19 is affecting passenger expectations and future travel plans,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. “It is reassuring that travellers are eager to travel again and our survey will help airports make the right decisions in providing the best and safest customer experience. Airports, airlines and their partners need to continue to increase the level of confidence in the entire passenger journey and provide and communicate the measures they are introducing to keep passenger healthy and safe. ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation programme provides airports with not only a tool to assess their health measures against globally-recognised standards but also a way to communicate to passengers about these measures.” Dr Sascha Brozek, senior vice president for Major Projects at KONE Corporation said: “As air travel and the industry navigates changes in order to gradually return, there’s no doubt the way passengers move through airports has been changed permanently. In this respect, safe and efficient people flow management is vital. At KONE, we believe that technology and smart solutions will help us reconfigure environments like airport terminals, keeping safety and health as a top priority.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Kay Rolland at [email protected]