Sustainability: In the post-COVID world

As flying returns so too will the environmental criticism of aviation. Airlines need to be ready with a proactive response, says industry watcher Rob Britton

airlines worldwide are fighting for survival amidst the existential crisis of COVID-19, and it’s clear many companies will lose the race between cash resources and returning demand.

Most airline people (like me) are lifelong optimists, and we believe that safe and effective vaccines will be broadly available in a matter of months, certainly by mid-2021, and combined with greater commitment to cleaning aircraft and airports we will see conditions that will begin to look like 'normal'.

Even better, it’s not unreasonable to conceive of a strong rebound in flying, given pent-up demand from months of staying at home and larger bank balances among those who remained employed during the pandemic.

Facing eco critics

As flying restarts we can guarantee environmental criticism and flygskam, the Swedish word for 'flight shame' will restart too. Just as the pandemic arrived in early 2020, the 'flying is evil' movement had truly achieved critical mass in Europe, and was spreading to the Americas and elsewhere.

Airlines and their industry associations had begun to respond with facts and data, without denial. In February, Delta Air Lines announced it would invest $1 billion over 10 years in initiatives that would limit the impact of global air travel on the environment; it was the first airline to commit at that scale.

We were beginning to get traction with a more balanced view of flying – acknowledging responsibility while reminding people of all the good things that aviation brings to us as individuals, to businesses, to society. But the pandemic has substantially altered the sustainability debate.

Zoom used to be something that jets did but now, along with other similar platforms, it has become the way we meet, whether for business or for fun, online. For more than 50 years, futurethinkers predicted that telecoms, especially video-conferencing, would erode travel demand, and prior to the pandemic this only happened to a small degree, on the margins. Then, virtually overnight, we all began to gather over the internet, and we found that these services worked much better than we expected – video and audio quality were great, documents could be easily shared, and tools for participant interaction were robust. We quickly adapted, and embraced, this new alternative

Developing new arguments

This means, of course, that our critics have yet another argument for their

attacks: we don’t need to fly there, because we can meet online. They will point not only to one-to-one and small group meetings but to entire conventions and mass corporate meetings that have been handled flawlessly. And these critics will not just say business travel can be reduced or eliminated, but will argue for virtual leisure travel, online educational exchange, and more.

responding proactively

So how do airlines respond? First, they must understand and be prepared for this new challenge. That seems obvious, but in the wake of the pandemic, airlines have eliminated thousands of management jobs and those that remain are justifiably focused on core operational functions. Environmental issues may seem like something of a distraction.

Second, they should continue to remind all stakeholders that they have for decades – and not just since Greta Thunberg -- understood their responsibility, and have been working diligently, with results: enormous reductions in CO2 and pollutants from cleaner, leaner engines; a global industry commitment to reduce emissions; huge R&D investment in still better technology including sustainable fuels, and more.

Third, and specific to the 'no need to fly there' argument, airlines must remind everyone that however convenient a virtual meeting may be, there will never be a substitute to being there. For the supplier to look the customer in the eye. For the export-minded company to travel to new markets and meet prospects face to face. For the exchange student to fly across the world and immerse herself in a totally new culture. For people to see new places and ways of life. And for all the myriad other ways that air travel has for decades improved our all our lives.

Finally, we should not be afraid to invoke powerful emotion when making this argument (our critics are not), because in the end, issues are best advanced through a combination of rational and emotional ideas. •

Airlines must understand and be prepared for this new challenge