ASIA’S largest budget carrier Air Asia has joined a number of leading aviation and tourism experts in calling for a standardized approach to travel protocols to help kickstart the international air travel revival.
The call comes in the face of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout across the globe and domestic air travel looks set to return to pre-Covid levels in the near future.
AirAsia Group President (Airlines) Bo Lingam said, “Covid-19 has left a severe impact on everyone and particularly on the travel and hospitality industries. In order to resume cross-border travel activity effectively and safely, a mutually agreed global framework approach is needed.
“Travel requirements in the region are currently complex and uncoordinated and travel bubbles are limited and underutilized. While we welcome the implementation of certain travel passes which are currently being developed or in testing phases, what is needed to stimulate international air travel again, is coordination among countries.
“The travel and tourism industry must work together with one consistent set of protocols and procedures for guests such as testing and vaccination requirements, coupled with a mutually agreed common digital health pass and with the expansion of travel bubbles to include the leisure sector.
“Resuming air travel is a collective effort. By working together we will be in a much better position to welcome the return of international flying in the not too distant future, delivering a much needed boost to the global economy.”
His comments follow a recent AirAsia review of Covid-19 procedures and protocols in regional countries such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China and Australia.
The review confirms that existing travel requirements vary across Asean countries, making it challenging and difficult for travelers to understand and follow. The different travel protocols across regional countries also pose operational difficulties to airlines and travel operators. Without common travel protocols, manual verification of health and travel documents becomes more time-consuming and is prone to error and fraud, especially with an increase in the use of fake health certifications.
“Furthermore, with 40 percent to 50 percent of the regional population expected to be vaccinated by the third quarter of 2021, travel policies should be updated regularly to reflect the current situation including the possible removal of quarantine requirements.
A good example is in the Philippines “where they have recently standardized all the travel requirements in the country and removed the ones that are no longer relevant,” said Bo.
The report also concluded that travel bubbles are currently implemented in the region are mostly limited to business and essential travelers only. Business travelers are less likely to provide a much needed boost to the tourism industry as the majority of corporate meetings can now be conducted online.
A key recommendation is for the expansion of travel bubbles for leisure travelers to be implemented in phases, starting with destinations in safe zones. Facilitating leisure travel will provide instant impact based on strong pent-up demand. Travel risk can also be minimized through implementation of strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and various measures including point-to-point controlled travel, fixed itineraries and contact tracing apps.
AirAsia recently announced its latest innovation Scan2Fly, which enables guests to scan and upload their medical documentation during the online check-in process to confirm they are approved to fly in real time, before heading to the airport. Scan2Fly was rolled out ahead of globally approved digital passports to support AirAsia’s goal of providing a Covid-safe and fully contactless travel experience. Scan2Fly can be seamlessly integrated into other globally approved platforms from different countries, relating to Covid-19 and vaccine solutions.
AirAsia is also soon commencing the rollout of biometric facial recognition technology across key ports, launching in Malaysia’s klia2 from April as it continues to develop new products and services to make flying more hygenic and seamless.
PAL ferries vaccines
Meanwhile, flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) said its A320 plane, RP-C8606, airlifted 17,400 doses of Sinovac vaccines to Cagayan de Oro.
Flight PR2519 flew out of Naia at 4:09 a.m. and arrived at Cagayan de Oro’s Laguindingan Airport at 5:22 a.m.
PAL flight RP-C9906 flew 21,600 doses of Sinovac vaccines to Davao, while PR8811took off from Naia at 4:44 a.m. and touched down at Davao airport at 6:08 a.m.
The Manila to Legazpi flight PR2923 departed at 9:14 a.m. with 12,000 doses while Manila to Cotabato flight PR2959 left at 10:32 a.m. with 4,200 doses.
At their destinations, the shipments were loaded onto cold-storage vans for transfer to various hospitals in preparation for the vaccination drive against Covid-19 in the South.
Wednesday’s ‘vaccine flights’ mark the second wave of PAL’s domestic distribution.
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