NO FEAR OF FLYING

Covid has mangled aviation and turned it into a train wreck. With a cumulative loss of $460 billion and the moth-balling of 14,500 mainline airliners, leaving only a third of that in the air and no relief in sight makes a nonsense of the global figures flung by various entities after soaking them in liquid anticipation. The cruel fact is that the way back into the air is presently like clawing up Everest without oxygen.

The hopefulness is belied by the reluctant passenger. The asyet visible nervousness of the global traveller to strap himself in the tube and leave the surly bonds of earth puts paid to all grandiose schemes to lure people back into seats. Will it happen one day? Of course it will. What is faced is a “widespread perception that airliners are a dangerous place”.

This global mindset still cannot wrap the fact around its head that aviation is relatively safe. Fear of airports and waiting areas add to the funk.

In the early days of the pandemic, the harsh steps taken to ground aircraft and curtail flights are still corroding confidence. The fear centres around the air we breathe in the tube. What we need to understand is that the air circulated on a modern aircraft is several times cleaner than a domestic air conditioner and comparable to that which is.