That Was The Week That Was 19-23 October
Distractions from the intensifying pressure includes losing the space bar
It is one of those ironies that even if there is not much actual flying, involving actual passengers on actual aeroplanes to distract us, we all seem very easily distracted. Attention spans are falling, focus is lessening. It is hard to think of any other reason for why we seem not to be paying as much attention as we should to some of the straws in the wind. Before the summer it seemed like the Commission was focused on getting through the pandemic. Now, there is work to be done. And it is getting done. Now is not a good time to be distracted.
Did you notice, for example, that on Monday the Commission released its work programme for 2021? The word ‘aviation’ is not used once, but ‘sustainable transport’, ‘green economy’ and ‘smart taxation’ most certainly are, more than once. Almost under the radar, there is a big conversation going on about taxation, the emission trading scheme redesign and CORSIA. The Aviation Intelligence Reporter will look at depth at some of the things that are being said, and yes, there is also a Brexit angle here; we need to keep this on the radar.
Ironically, the people that most watch radars – the ANSPs of Belgium, France, Germany, Holland and Switzerland – yes, our old friend FABEC – tried a bit of freelance distraction on Monday. Out came yet another press release praising to the sky the industriousness and value of the FABs. These would be the very same FABs that every ANSP in Europe resisted the creation of, endure the meetings of, and that the Commission has conceded was not perhaps its best ever idea. Why, may you ask, are we being showered with these weekly love-bombs to the FABs, written by the FABs? Because the Commission’s new proposal so clearly moves things forward that the ANSPs are suddenly enamoured of the good old days. The Commission should take heart from that fact.
Less heart-affirming was Tuesday’s release of an interview with Dr David Suzuki – North America’s David Attenborough – about the environment and emissions. The interview was conducted by the Responsible Tourism Partnership. By the end of the interview, you may take the view that the only responsible tourism is no tourism. The link to the interview should come with a trigger warning. Nonetheless, it is mandatory viewing, if only to see what is motivating much of the Commission’s 2021 Work Programme.
On the intensifying pressure front, the news on Wednesday that 25 Russian fishermen, who had taken pre-flight tests for Coronavirus (those who tested positive were rejected), then travelled to Christchurch via Singapore, without ever getting off the aircraft, and then stayed in an isolated isolation hotel, had tested positive two days after arriving was exactly not the intensification of pressure that the airline trade associations had assured us was happening in support of testing. There is intensification, without doubt, but not in the right direction – unless the direction you are going is back to the drawing board.
But, even if en-route to the drawing board, you have to admire IATA’s single-mindedness when it comes to the issue. Single-mindedness is perhaps not strictly correct. Perhaps two bits of single-mindedness is better. Twin-track single-mindedness; indefatigability even. Because notwithstanding the NZ setback, Thursday saw yet another press release asking for two things – a sort of buy-one-get-one-free approach to intensifying the pressure that makes sure we all notice the doubling down. IATA, not to be silenced by a need for someone else to pay for testing went in for the kill. Its members also need ‘continuing financial support’ more generally, over and above any free testing largesse that might be going around. If it helps, IATA is happy to arrange an orderly queue for the free money.
If there is one sector of aviation that is keeping its head above water in these difficult times it is the cargo industry. Other sectors that see blue skies ahead, presumably, are the aircraft conversion people, keen to make passenger aircraft freighters, or preighters, and the operators of aircraft parking stations… Still, good news for cargo operators is still good news, so the European Council demanding that the Commission draws up contingency plans for the freight industry shows how much the balance of power is shifting in the industry. To be fair, the passenger side did get its long awaited slot waiver for the northern winter season formally published in the Official Journal.
As exciting as that must have been, the intensification stakes got a shake when a scientist quoted in IATA’s report, aiming to reassure travellers that commercial flights have a low incidence of in-flight Covid-19 transmission if masks are worn came out on Friday and said that the report misrepresents his findings.
To round the week out, we feel we must report that there has been a worrying loss of the space bar on word processors in the aviation fuel industry. This is an alarming and worrying development, or as FuelsEurope might suggest, as also on Friday it responded to the ReFuelEU initiative, this is a worryingsign. The World Economic Forum got in on the act too. Its view was largely consistent with FuelsEurope’s view. Indeed, it was hard to put a space between the two submissions. Still, once the lack of space was addressed, it was good to see that normal service was restored. The collective view is that SomeOneElseMustPay.