While the majority of travellers believe they will be ready to travel fairly soon after the Covid-19 pandemic is under control, a large portion are still unsure about returning to the skies, according to a poll by the International Air Transport Association.

A recent survey found 60 per cent of those polled anticipate a return to travel within one to two months of the coronavirus being contained, but 40 per cent said they could wait six months or more before getting on a plane. Furthermore, with millions of people around the world suffering financially due to the virus, 69 per cent said they could delay travel until their personal financial situation stabilises.

IATA said it will be important for governments to work with the aviation industry on confidence-boosting measures.

¡°Passenger confidence will suffer a double whammy even after the pandemic is contained ¨C hit by personal economic concerns in the face of a looming recession on top of lingering concerns about the safety of travel,¡± commented IATA director general and chief executive Alexandre de Juniac. ¡°Governments and industry must be quick and coordinated with confidence-boosting measures.¡±

According to IATA¡¯s data, evidence of a cautious return to travel can be seen in markets such as China, where new cases of Covid-19 have fallen to low levels. In China, domestic demand began to recover from mid-February into the first week of March, but the number of domestic flights plateaued at just over 40 per cent of pre-coronavirus levels. IATA said actual demand is expected to be weaker, as load factors on these flights are reported to be low.

IATA said domestic market behaviour is a critical indicator, as post-pandemic recovery is expected to be led by internal travel, followed by regional and then international as governments begin to remove travel restrictions.

De Juniac continued: ¡°In some economies, the spread of Covid-19 has slowed to the point where governments are planning to lift the most severe elements of social distancing restrictions. But an immediate rebound from the catastrophic fall in passenger demand appears unlikely. People still want to travel. But they are telling us that they want clarity on the economic situation and will likely wait for at least a few months after any ¡®all clear¡¯ before returning to the skies. As countries lift restrictions, confidence-boosting measures will be critical to re-start travel and stimulate economies.

¡°The passenger business came to a halt with unilateral government actions to stop the spread of the virus. The industry re-start, however, must be built with trust and collaboration. And it must be guided by the best science we have available. Time is of the essence. We must start building a framework for a global approach that will give people the confidence that they need to travel once again. And, of course, this will need to be shored up by economic stimulus measures to combat the impact of a recession.¡±