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PARIS/LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - European governments
should focus on developing coherent air travel policies as
airlines struggle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, rather
than shielding national carriers, easyJet Chief
Executive Johan Lundgren said on Tuesday.
Speaking at an online event with industry CEOs and EU
policymakers, Lundgren blamed some of the slump in traffic on
"tremendous confusion" over differing restrictions and
quarantine measures.
"There needs to be a common approach when it comes to the
things that have to do with testing (and) quarantine," Lundgren
said during the event hosted by Brussels-based industry group
Airlines for Europe (A4E).
Pressure on the sector is intensifying as the travel slump
drags on longer and deeper than many had expected, increasing
the threat to weaker players as well as the prospect of a new
round of government bailouts.
With 4.2 million European flights and 140 billion euros
($166 billion) in revenue already lost to the crisis, according
to Eurocontrol data, airlines have condemned quarantines as a
disproportionate response and a major travel deterrent.
Seeking to restore order amid policy chaos, the European
Union is struggling to persuade governments to embrace common
risk assessments and principles governing travel rules.
Beyond that, a coordinated global approach is key to
restoring long-haul travel, said Sebastian Mikosz of the
International Air Transport Association (IATA).
"We are not at the stage of the recovery, we are still at
the stage of the survival," he said. "If you have any form of
quarantine (it's) absolutely equivalent to closing the market."
($1 = 0.8418 euros)
(Reporting by Laurence Frost and Sarah Young; Editing by Mark
Potter)
