A NEW FLIGHT PLAN
Given the number of obs and businesses that were destroyed during the battle against the pandemic, a desire for lu ury travel on a private plane to some e otic location is absurd – if not downright indecent. ormal cross border travel alone is inconvenient and uncomfortable there are new safety protocols and clearance procedures in place, and as of now, they are uneven and unstable. ravel, even if allowed, can be dangerous depending on the circumstances and the destination. ractical considerations, ranging from the opening of green lanes and travel bubbles to the Tuarantine reTuirements and availability of emergency facilities in other countries, are real. It is safe to say that easing bacN to the way things used to be is going to be protracted and laborious.
It comes as no surprise that even those who can still afford cross border private plane travel are holding bacN and fi ing their ga e at something more profitable rebuilding the economy and retooling the industries, recalibrating targets and the means to achieve them, and pivoting the enterprise to create and taNe advantage of new opportunities. he devastation, after all, may have obliterated hope for certain sectors of the population, but it doesn’t mean that they are the only ones that are affected.
ot all is lost, however. ompelling reasons for travel will shift, but they will continue to e ist. lthough flying commercial is less appealing at the moment, and ma or corporations are sending their honchos on private planes, it has not stopped. or the globalised economy to remain sustainable, borders have to reopen eventually, albeit selectively, and worNers and trade have to be allowed to move around with some freedom.
ow is the time to discover the advantages of private and business aviation. o what ends can it be applied afety, convenience, and comfort remain at its core technology and design continue to support them. ut the reality shows us that they must now be directed towards other concerns. he safety that lowers e posure to viral infection, the convenience of own flight timetable, and the comfort of sitting in the cabin apart and yet together are now the highlighted benefits of private and business aviation. es, they have always been there but were previously viewed differently.
ut all that is ust thinNing about changes on the surface. here will be profound transformations for which the entire aviation industry will have to prepare. hese transformations will not be confined within the cosmetic and the frivolous ‘lifestyle’ concerns. rom cost management to technology application and deployment, from compliance to unified safety and emergency standards to singular, nationalised procedures – these will change the way we fly.
I wanted to headline this letter with annus
horribilis, a term that I’m sure is being applied to any number of reports, but I decided against it. If we looN closely at what has saved us time and again from large scale crises, we will realise that it has always been our indomitable spirit. he challenges are before us. :e will overcome them.