By Juan Carlos Salazar, Director General of Civil Aviation de Colombia.   The impact of the fall in demand generated by COVID-19, added to the air restrictions and quarantines with mobility restriction in Colombia observed as of March 2020, evidenced a sharp drop in the operational figures of passenger movement and cargo. The above, dramatically changed the growth trend that was seen in previous decades; The historical evolution of traffic and the sustained growth trend of the last several years, which in 2019 made it possible to move more than 41.2 million passengers through the different airports in Colombia, with a growth above 9%.   Passenger Movement   When making an analysis of the monthly passenger movement , it is [...]

By Jose Ricardo Botelho, Executive Director and CEO of ALTA   We have reached one and a half months of the long-awaited 2021. A year full of hopes with the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccines global distribution and prospects of recovering step by step in-person activities after a 2020 with human and economic losses, as well as a heavily impacted aviation industry.   According to ICAO data, in 2020 there was a 50% overall reduction in seats offered by airlines around the world vs. 2019, and a 60% reduction in passenger traffic with 2.69 billion fewer passengers from 2019.   In our region, we estimate a 59.2% reduction in passenger traffic vs. 2019, totaling 177.3 million passengers carried in the [...]

By Marcel Riwalsky   Almost two years ago, I took the opportunity to speak about the topic of aviation bringing peace. I used the phrase 'bringing peace' because aviation unites people and nations, promoting economic growth and thus creating prosperity even in more remote regions. Bonds are formed between countries, fomenting the exchange of ideas and creating business opportunities. People that know and understand each other, and who travel to each other's countries, will be less vulnerable to conflict.   Now, a little later, we are facing a time with less aviation – at least in the short term. And the reason is an illness, a virus, or rather the speed of its spread – although due to highly efficient [...]

ALTA sends a message of confidence to the industry   By José Ricardo Botelho   We are going through a situation that has significantly impacted the behavior of passengers. An X-ray of this thesis is shown in the surveys carried out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 11 markets: In February 2020 almost 100% of passengers were willing to travel, in April 61%, in June the 45%.   However, at this time we know that with the protocols established by the ICAO Council for Aviation Recovery (CART), the probability of infection in flight is 1 in 4300. According to IATA studies, the air in an airplane cabin is eight times better than that of a supermarket.   All [...]

Recovery as a Goal   By José Ricardo Botelho   We live in extraordinary times, which inevitably require extraordinary efforts. The team at the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) is aware of this and therefore, since the beginning of the pandemic, our immediate priority has been to support our members to remain viable during this crisis and to collaborate with the authorities of the region, in the implementation of efficient and articulated mechanisms for the reactivation of air transport.   All the players in the aviation industry have worked day and night, to keep aviation alive, considering the great bridge between countries it represents. Maintaining this active link required the industry to adopt the ICAO CART document [...]

Emerging Technologies and the Future of Aviation Training Post COVID-19 By Triant Flouris, 11 August 2020.   The air transportation industry is expected to double in the next twenty years with forecasts projecting more than 8,2 billion passenger transactions by 2037. This continuous growth inevitably creates unprecedented systemic challenges in terms of equipment (ex. aircraft), infrastructure (ex. airports) and processes (ex. ground service activities). Because of the projected growth, the aviation industry must invest in emerging technologies (ex. Artificial Intelligence-AI, Data Analytics, and Process Automation) creating a seamless journey for passengers, and cargo, while concurrently reducing its environmental footprint.   Given the organic interplay of systems and humans that characterize an aviation ecosystem, further pressure will be exerted on aviation [...]