How air couriers can take off in post-epidemic era

The COVID-19 pandemic has had the most devastating impact on the international airline industry. The debilitating impact stretches beyond passenger aviation into air cargo and airports.

The amount of money the pandemic has cost the airline industry is astronomical. For instance, an estimate of the loss in revenue of European airlines in 2021 runs at a staggering 18.5 billion euros ($20.36 billion). Many airlines around the world became casualties of the pandemic and were declared bankrupt. Flybe, operating out of Southampton in south-central England, is just one example.

Even the $58 billion bailout package for the US air carriers, which former US president Donald Trump announced in March 2020, provided little solace for the aviation industry.

But perhaps all is not lost, and there may even be light at the end of the tunnel. Airlines' revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022 is forecast to rise significantly and could help the air carriers return to normality.

Of course, this has to be tempered with the "living with COVID-19" mantra that has become inherent to most news on the pandemic, and may continue to be so in the near future.

However, the sudden and substantial downturn of the airline and travel sectors may have created some benefits and triggered some positive changes in people's lifestyle and societal norms and values.

True, the pandemic has drastically reduced business travel, but it has also led to a quantum increase in online business meetings, typically via Zoom or Teams or Skype. Not to mention the significant reduction in carbon emissions. Online business meetings and communication were considered important even before the pandemic broke out, but they remained secondary to face-to-face, in person communication.

Now, many have changed their views and come to appreciate the efficiency and effectiveness of online business meetings, and the amount of money they save.

Such is the ease and technical stability of most online business meetings that they have allowed businesses to open up communication across increasingly wider geographical regions. This can only prove a shot in the arm for economic globalization. There is no denying that a sound understanding of different business cultures can only be gained through actual visits to observe nonverbal communication among, and response of, the local population, but substantial online interactions in advance could pave the way for such observation and understanding later.

The global fashion industry provides a perfect example for successful adaptation to the pandemic-induced changes. Livestreaming of fashion shows and virtual models are just two examples of how digital technology has become an effective substitute for physical presence at major fashion shows and the resulting business negotiations.

On the cargo side, naturally delays and uncertainties plague many countries and their economies. But at the same time, this has helped boost the international shipping industry.

As for the consumer side, tourists and the tourism industry both have suffered. Yet not all the forced changes in lifestyle and consumption habits can be dismissed as negative, because the grounding of flights has prompted people to use other means of transport and visit local tourist sites, thus boosting local economies.

Also, the reduction in international travel has caused some palpable changes in people's lifestyle and attitude marked by a slower pace of life, which is considered important for higher-quality life.

International flights will resume but the typical consumers, from now on, will be more thoughtful and selective, and may combine domestic and international travel and tourism.

Perhaps there is no reason to view the pandemic from a Panglossian perspective. But excessive air travel had become a dangerous trend which was waiting for years to be addressed. Thankfully, the pandemic is now redressing this concern.

The author is a visiting professor at the University of International Business and Economics.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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