ACA and APEX call for support

Aviation and inflight services associations have called on global governments to issue immediate financial support to the sector in light of the COVID-19 disruption worldwide.

APEX/IFSA ceo, Dr Joe Leader said: “Airlines are critical to our world’s economy. Reducing taxation, penalties, and slot/gate bureaucracy in the midst of this crisis will go a long way toward ensuring economic recovery. We need to enable airline resources to go into both the health of our industry and our customers worldwide.”

Fabio Gamba, md of Airline Caterers Association (ACA), said: “The economic effects of the virus disproportionately affects the hundreds of thousands of staff in our industry. We need to take a measured, common-sense approach as many airport services worldwide continue to operate and provide their invaluable service in this time of crisis.

The association represents 170,000 workers producing 2.7bn meals per year. Gamba added: "We welcome the set of measures that governments are taking to alleviate the hardships caused by this pandemic. But further action must be taken and decided at an international level, not country by country. Leading regulators and aviation industry associations must urgently implement a strong action plan, including but not limited to the immediate waiving of taxes and charges that currently put an undue burden on aviation."

apex.aero; aca.catering