Accomplished senior-level executive with a 20+ year track record of successful strategic and tactical leadership within the Aviation industry, Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Sales & Cargo at Etihad, reflects on the ramifications of Covid-19 on the Aviation sector in general and Etihad Airways in particular.
Mr. Drew explains the difficulties faced in 2020 and the positive outlook for the future.
* Covid-19 has affected our whole world negatively over the past year, how was its impact on ETIHAD Airways?
Covid-19 has affected the world as we know it, but it had the worst impact on the aviation industry. For us at Etihad, the 23rd of March 2020 will always be engraved in our minds, it was the day we had to ground all flights and it was something that we never could have imagined. From that period onwards we’ve navigated our way through the pandemic. We’ve gradually rebuilt our network and taken quick and helpful measures to give our passengers peace of mind, such as sanitation, disinfecting our aircrafts and ensuring safety during the airport experience as well.
In addition, we went the extra mile and introduced Wellness Ambassadors, which is a service we provide 24/7 to our passengers. Our guests can contact a Wellness Ambassador and ask questions about health and wellness, and what the destination restrictions are. Most importantly, we have a Wellness Ambassador on board each flight, whose job is to make sure that wellbeing protocols are being followed and the guests can travel with complete peace of mind.
Etihad was the first airline in the world to require a PCR test before flying and retesting again on arrival, regardless of the country’s restrictions, just because we wanted to keep our passengers safe. Furthermore, passengers arriving in Abu Dhabi can easily travel to the other emirates across the UAE, including Dubai, without quarantine.
We’ve received very positive feedback on the way we handled the situation which has built confidence for our guests to fly with us. What’s encouraging now is that we’re back to 58 destinations which means that the network is rebuilding again, thanks to the fast vaccination programs, especially here in the UAE. The restrictions are being lifted in a lot of countries and we’re noticing the return of passengers’ demand. We still have a long way to go in getting through this crisis, however we’re feeling optimistic thanks to the positive signs such as the expansion of Abu Dhabi’s green list and the reduction of quarantine requirements for vaccinated individuals.
* Which countries are still subject to the restrictions of preventive measures due to Covid19?
There is currently restrictions on a number of countries applied by the General Civil Aviation Authority in the UAE because of the pandemic, and that includes countries in the subcontinent of India such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri-Lanka and South Africa as well. We’re waiting until they get the pandemic under control in their countries and the restrictions are lifted to resume our operations in their markets. In particular, the market in the Indian Subcontinent is strategically very important to us.
* What was the impact of Covid-19 on your results in 2020?
The volume of passenger travel dropped tremendously and we had to ground our fleet in March 2020. The repercussions were evident in our yearly results which were published in March 2021. On the contrary though, I can say that the Cargo demand was the lifeline of the airline. Cargo revenues improved compared to the same period in 2019 and this was driven by an increase in demand and a spike in cargo fares due to the impact of the pandemic.
* What are your plans for the near future?
We will continue to rebuild our network and this process has shown how agile Etihad is. We are very fortunate in terms of the fleet we operate, we have the right fleet mix that enables us to deploy aircrafts such as the Dreamliner (787-9 /787-10) and the A320s. We are expecting some segments to revive, especially the leisure segment where we are already witnessing very good demand on routes such as the Maldives and the Seychelles. We are also resuming flights to Phuket, Thailand in the beginning of July and adding new seasonal routes to Malaga in Spain and the Greek Islands of Santorini and Mykonos.
* What about your participation in ATM?
As the national carrier of the UAE, we’ve always had a big presence in the Arabian Travel Market, and it is important for us to be here to talk about what we’ve been doing, how we’re rebuilding our network and to promote how easy it is to travel to Dubai via Abu Dhabi in particular. Being here, meeting custumers and travel partners face to face after a very long time of video calling has been brilliant, and makes this exhibition a great success since it is the first in-person trade show after the pandemic. This is just another reason for us to feel optimistic.
