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DUBAI, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The new coronavirus epidemic will
have a only a marginal impact on global travel demand and the
airline industry is healthy enough to absorb any economic
slowdown in China, said the chief executive of British Airways
parent IAG on Wednesday.
International flights to China from around the world have
been suspended in response to the worsening health emergency
that has killed close to 500, nearly all in the country, while a
meeting of international aviation officials in Singapore was
cancelled.
"The aviation industry is very robust. We may see some
marginal impact," IAG CEO Willie Walsh told reporters in Doha at
a CAPA aviation summit.
British Airways has suspended flights between London
Heathrow and Beijing and Shanghai, which Walsh said represented
around 1% of the airline's capacity.
There had been no impact on the group's other airlines,
including Ireland's Aer Lingus and Spain's Iberia, as they do
not fly to China.
Walsh, who steps down in March, said he did not expect the
virus to deter people from travelling.
Qatar Airways, which owns a minority stake in IAG, has also
cancelled passenger flights to China, though its chief executive
said that was because other countries had placed entry
restrictions on those who had recently visited the country.
Akbar al-Baker said that made it difficult to staff China
flights because it would mean those cabin crew and pilots would
not be able to operate flights to some other countries for a
limited period.
Global airline lobby The International Air Transport
Association said it was too early to say how much the virus
would impact the industry this year but is confident of a
recovery.
"This industry has demonstrated its ability to overcome
these type of difficult events and overcome them successfully,"
Chief Executive Alexandre de Juniac told Reuters.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Writing by Saeed Azhar;
Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
