AACO Communicates with Governments to Adopt Measures that Could Ease the Burdens on Airlines under t

Given the rapid spread of COVID-19 pandemic where we are seeing travel bans adopted by a number of countries, while some countries are totally closed in the face of air transport, and where the demand on air travel is severely low across the globe, and in order to provide protection against job losses as well as to help jumpstart the economic contribution of air transport when this crisis is over, the Arab Air Carriers' Organization (AACO) has communicated with the Arab governments through the Arab Civil Aviation Organization (ACAO) encouraging them to adopt the following measures:

1- Taxes: AACO encouraged Arab governments to provide tax relief to airlines for at least a period of two years.
2- Financial Situation of Airlines: AACO urged Arab governments to provide speedy financial support packages for airlines in order to shield more than 150 thousand families who rely in their livelihood on their airlines' employers and to help airlines overcome this crisis and jumpstart their natural contribution to economic sustainability and growth beyond the current difficult times.
3- Paying Lenders and Suppliers: AACO sought the support of Arab governments and other partners in aviation as well as other stakeholders to request lenders and suppliers to provide a grace period to airlines and refrain from any measures against them in the current situation, until air transport is back to the start of normalcy.
4- User Charges: AACO encouraged governments to support airlines in requesting airport operators and air navigation service providers to exempt airlines from paying parking fees during this time of emergency and to cancel or reduce other user charges paid by airlines.
5- Liabilities under passenger rights regulations: AACO requested governments to temporarily exempt airlines from passenger rights regulations as the current situation is considered to be force majeure that obliges airlines to cancel or delay their flights with short notice.
6- Slots Regulations: AACO asked the support of governments to exempt airlines from any slot rules applied in Arab airports.
7- New Costs related to containing the spread of the virus: Many airlines have introduced sanitization measures and health monitoring devices. AACO requested governments to either compensate the airlines for the cost they are incurring under this category or to provide the tools needed for sanitization and monitoring.

Arab airlines and airlines around the world are doing whatever is within their capacity to serve their passengers with the least inconveniences possible given the current situation. A number of airlines have waived any fees related to passengers cancelling their flights or rebooking or other force majeure requests that passengers might have or had during this period. AACO sees the above measures as very important for governments to adopt in order to avoid a scenario where airlines would not be able to provide the public with convenient services through their global networks or where we would see a reduction in the choices of travel for passengers when the COVID-19 pandemic ends and global transport is back to normal.