KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 11): The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged the Asia-Pacific region to prepare for the anticipated surge in traffic and provide policy support for the industry’s decarbonisation efforts, as the region moves forward from Covid-19.

In a statement on Friday (Nov 11), IATA senior vice president and deputy director general Conrad Clifford said the last three years had been extremely challenging for the airline industry.

He said Asian airlines, in particular, were hit hard, accounting for about a third of the industry’s losses between 2020 and this year.

“With the region finally emerging from Covid-19, governments have a key role to play in accelerating the recovery, and supporting the industry’s sustainable growth,” he said.

Clifford described Asia as having been a laggard, adding that the rest of the world started lifting restrictions and reopening borders last year.

“However, it was only around April this year that positive momentum was seen in Asia.

“That is why international passenger demand in September was only at 41.5% of 2019 levels, the lowest among regions,” said Clifford.

He said North American carriers led the way at 89% of 2019 levels, while the other regions were in the 73% to 83% range.

“Asia-Pacific governments can accelerate the recovery. There is no reason why we cannot travel as we did before the pandemic. The region also needs to prepare for the surge in traffic.

“The delays and congestion experienced in Europe and North America should be a stark reminder for airports and government agencies in Asia-Pacific. Now is the time to get the capacity in place, both in terms of infrastructure and the manpower,” said Clifford.

IATA is also calling for more digitisation of processes so as to be able to handle the increase in traffic.

However, Clifford conceded that the region’s recovery will be held back as long as China remains closed to international travel.

“We must learn to live, travel and work with Covid-19.

“We hope the Chinese government will have the confidence to re-open its borders soon and connect with the world,” he said.