It’s impossible to watch the news or read a paper without hearing about the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. While the pandemic has hit many sectors hard, few have felt the force like the travel and tourism industry. If you’re a fan of going on holiday, you travel for work, or you love globetrotting, you might be wondering what the future holds. 

The current situation

The outbreak of Covid-19 brought air travel to a grinding halt, and six months after lockdown measures were introduced, passenger numbers are still much lower than in previous years. Many countries, including Australia and New Zealand, have closed their borders, while others are operating under restrictions. The UK is currently updating its list of air corridors weekly, with new destinations being added on a regular basis. At present, with cases rising across Europe, it’s virtually impossible to travel freely without facing the prospect of quarantining on your return. While some people will be happy to spend two weeks at home in exchange for a well-earned break in the sunshine, there are many that can’t do that, and this means that travel is off the cards for a large proportion of Brits. 

The fall in numbers affects airlines and travel agencies and tour operators, but it also has a knock-on effect for airports, companies that lease planes and businesses that depend on air traffic and airport footfall. Declan Kelly recently took charge of Aircraft Leasing Ireland at what he said was a ‘crucial’ time for the aviation sector. The challenge lies in restoring travel networks safely and building public support and consumer trust at a time when people are likely to be reluctant to fly. Gatwick’s revenues fell by over 60% in the first six months of 2020, and it is estimated that traffic will not return to pre-Covid levels for 4-5 years. Globally, the aviation industry is expected to lose almost $85 billion in 2020. 

Can people still go away?

If you took a moment to check live departure boards at UK airports, you would notice that there are still a number of flights running. While there are few destinations that remain on the quarantine ‘green’ list, that doesn’t mean to say that people are banned from travelling to those locations. Airlines are operating across Europe and further afield, but restrictions enforced both by the UK and by other countries mean that timetables are reduced, the number of routes has declined and some destinations are not open to tourists. If you’re planning to travel or take a holiday, the best thing to do is check the latest travel advice on the government website. You may need to fill in forms on both legs of the journey, and if the country you are travelling from is on the quarantine list, you will need to stay at home for 14 days when you get back from your break. It’s also important to check the details of your travel insurance policy. 

When will travel return to normal?

This is the question all consumers, travel agencies, airlines and aviation industry experts are asking. The trouble is that nobody really knows the answers. The pandemic has caused widespread disruption, thousands of jobs have been lost and there’s no certainty that things will return to ‘normal’ any time soon. Case numbers are increasing, and there are indications that we will be living with restrictions until a vaccine is available and the risks of people dying from the disease is significantly lower. 

After months of staying at home, many people are looking forward to being able to travel again. At the moment, it’s impossible to say what the future holds, but airlines and tour operators will be hoping for rapid progress and a swift return to some semblance of normality.