Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker says that COVID-19 is going to reshape travel with business getting used to using online conference calls.

Speaking with AirlineRatings.com yesterday Al Baker said that the 2008 GFC spelt the demise of first-class travel and he feels that business travel will be severely impacted going forward.

“Yields will fall as premium traffic declines,” he warned.

However, the upside for business is that social distancing is guaranteed particularly with the airline’s Qsuite, which it will continue to deploy.

And with the decline in business travel, the global A380 superjumbo fleet will also be under pressure.

READ: Qatar Airways to give away 100,000 tickets to health professionals

READ Air travel on the rise

“Qatar Airways is parking its 10 A380s and they will not return for at least a year, and maybe never.”

And he sees the decline of many airlines.

“There will be consolidation and bankruptcies and a huge reduction in capacity,” said Al Baker.

Qatar Airways like most airlines will also seek aid from its government owners.

Al Baker said that the airline was burning through cash and only had enough to sustain operations for a “very short period of time”.

“We will surely go to our government eventually for equity,” said Al Baker.

On the future, he said that “some people say that the industry will not recover to 2019 levels till at least 2023.”

“But I think it will be sooner.”

Al Baker is upbeat on the work that is going on in Israel and the UK for cures and vaccines.

“I think Israel will be first.”

“The world’s best scientific minds are working on COVID19 and I am confident it will be sooner than later.”

However, getting passengers comfortable with flying is a challenge.

“Airlines will have to mount an aggressive campaign to promote the cleanliness of the airport and aircraft.”

Al Baker says Qatar Airways is leading the world in aircraft and airport hygiene.

“We have complete social distancing on our aircraft and all our flight crew have PPE”

Al Baker said that the airline has changed its service delivery to virtually eliminate contact.

“Our airline has implemented industry-leading hygiene practices and commercial policies enabling our passengers to book and travel with confidence.”

The airline has maintained flights to at least 30 destinations – including Perth – during the crisis helping to take over 1 million people home.

Qatar Airways will soon begin a phased increase to 80 destinations by the end of June in line with passenger demand and the expected relaxation of entry restrictions around the world.

Air travel is on the rise but only just according to the latest data from OAG, the world’s leading source of airline schedules.

In a new report, OAG said that last week there was a 2 per cent increase in weekly capacity with some 29.8 million scheduled seats representing a small but very important 600,000 more than the previous week with pockets of growth occurring in eight of the seventeen regional markets analysed.

“Total capacity is now at 29.9 million seats; some 80 million fewer seats than operated in the same week last year which highlights how far the global market has been impacted,” says OAG.

READ: Qatar Airways adding back flights

The scale of the decline due to COVID is highlighted by the decline in services Sydney to Melbourne route from 1000 services a week to just 38.

OAG says that “for some weeks North-East Asia has been showing signs of some recovery in capacity, driven of course by the growth in Chinese capacity where a further one million domestic seats were added back this week to the schedules.”

“Hong Kong is another market to report some positive news with Cathay Pacific adding back some 40,000 seats and growing frequency by some 120 flights over the seven days; at around eight round trip flights a day hardly earth-shattering but nevertheless a positive step.”

OAG has also detected small growth signs in South America.

It reports that some 800,000 additional domestic seats are being added in China which highlights that domestic travel will lead the airline industry out of the COVID-19 disaster.

OAG reports that China’s domestic capacity stands at 75 per cent of January’s level, the United States at 27 per cent and Russia at 49 per cent of pre-COVID-19 levels.

China is now the world’s number 1 travel market operating twice as many seats.

OAG is finding that the market in many places is quite chaotic with an extremely high level of cancellations, particularly in the US domestic market.

“The last two weeks have seen all of the major US airlines reduce the number of scheduled domestic flights, as some 16,250 flights have been “unscheduled” over the last two weeks which is around a 25 percent cut,” says OAG.

However, the level of cancellation is declining.

OAG reports that at the end of January there were some 24,400 airport pairs operated at least once weekly but that is now down to just above 13,000 as airlines suspend networks and retrench back to the core networks established over many years.

This is a heart-warming story from Sean Golding a Qantas 787 captain who has swapped jobs to help in the COVID19 crisis.

Captain Golding takes up the story;

“I trained as a paramedic 4 years ago while I was flying the A330 and would study in my hotel room on layovers and do clinical experience on my days off.

I was also working as a casual diving instructor so thought the paramedic skills might come in handy.

Ironically, I’ve never had to use them diving, but have had a few instances on the aircraft where it’s proven helpful.

One time I was a passenger on a flight and a woman started bleeding quite badly. I worked with an emergency doctor who happened to be on board to manage her condition with IV fluids to keep her stable until we landed.

SEE: The moon, a contrail and a 747

When COVID-19 came about, I had this training to fall back on, so was able to switch from flying a 787 around the world to riding in an ambulance.

I’ve had a few COVID-19 patients in the back with me as we move them from hospital to hospital.

Sometimes I tell them flying stories as a distraction. It has been eye-opening and rewarding both personally and professionally to do something different.

If nothing else, COVID-19 has made me realise how important it is to find the good in every situation and make the most of each moment, because as I keep seeing, sometimes those moments are gone.”

EDITOR: Qantas Pilot Sean Golding, B787 Captain currently working for State Medical Assistance contracting to NSW Health as a Paramedic.

Qatar Airways is to begin a phased increase in its network in line with passenger demand evolution and the expected relaxation of entry restrictions around the world.

The airline has maintained flights to at least 30 destinations where possible during this crisis helping to take over 1 million people home, the airline says it’s in a unique position to closely monitor global passenger flows and booking trends.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive His Excellency Mr Akbar Al Baker said: “Throughout this crisis, our passengers have been at the centre of our focus. Our airline has implemented industry-leading hygiene practices and commercial policies enabling our passengers to book and travel with confidence. We have maintained a flexible and agile network to help take over 1 million people home through our state of the art hub in Doha and to transport more than 100,000 tonnes of essential medical and aid supplies to where they are needed.

“As we follow the indicators of the global travel market on a daily basis, we continue to focus on our mission – how we can enable mobility for our customers and provide them with seamless connectivity to their final destination. We have built a strong level of trust with passengers, governments, trade and airports as a reliable partner during this crisis and we intend to continue delivering on this mission as we gradually expand our network.”

While the situation is hugely dynamic, Qatar Airways has made a number of assumptions based on its unique perspective, having been one of the only carriers to operate globally in recent months. With entry restrictions constantly evolving, accurately predicting future travel is challenging. However, while the expectation is that short-haul travel will rebound first, business between large global cities will pick up more gradually and there will be a move towards visiting family and friends following months of lockdown it says.

By the end of June, the airline aims to have 80 destinations in the schedule including 23 in Europe, four in the Americas, 20 in the Middle East/Africa and 33 in Asia-Pacific. Many cities will be served with a strong schedule with daily or more frequencies.

The airline says that gradual expansion will focus initially on strengthening connections between the airline’s hub in Doha with the global hubs of its partner airlines around the world including London, Chicago, Dallas and Hong Kong along with reopening many major business and leisure destinations such as Madrid and Mumbai.

READ: The moon, a contrail and a 747

Currently, the airline continues to operate flights to more than 30 destinations around the world.

By the end of May, the airline plans to grow its network back to over 50 destinations* resuming services to cities such as Manila, Amman, and Nairobi. A further number of destinations* are planned to be added by the end of June.

For the latest information on where Qatar Airways is flying, please click COVID-19 travel alert.

Qatar Airways destinations operating by end of June*

• Africa: Addis Ababa (ADD), Cape Town (CPT), Johannesburg (JNB), Lagos (LOS), Nairobi (NBO), Tunis (TUN)
• Americas: Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Sao Paulo (GRU), Montreal (YUL)
• Asia-Pacific: Guangzhou (CAN), Hong Kong (HKG), Seoul (ICN), Tokyo (NRT), Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (PVG), Bangkok (BKK), Jakarta (CGK), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Manila (MNL), Singapore (SIN), Ahmedabad (AMD), Amritsar (ATQ), Bangalore (BLR), Mumbai (BOM), Calicut (CCJ), Kolkata (CCU), Colombo (CMB), Kochi (COK), Dhaka (DAC), New Delhi (DEL), Goa (GOI), Hyderabad (HYD), Kathmandu (KTM), Chennai (MAA), Male (MLE), Trivandrum (TRV), Islamabad (ISB), Karachi (KHI), Lahore (LHE), Melbourne (MEL), Perth (PER), Sydney (SYD)
• Europe: Athens (ATH), Budapest (BUD), Moscow (DME), Istanbul (IST), Amsterdam (AMS), Stockholm (ARN), Barcelona (BCN), Brussels (BRU), Paris (CDG), Copenhagen (CPH), Dublin (DUB), Edinburgh (EDI), Rome (FCO), Frankfurt (FRA), London (LHR), Madrid (MAD), Manchester (MAN), Munich (MUC), Milan (MXP), Oslo (OSL), Berlin (TXL), Vienna (VIE), Zurich (ZRH)
• Middle East: Amman (AMM), Beirut (BEY), Baghdad (BGW), Basra (BSR), Erbil (EBL), Teheran (IKA), Sulaymaniyah (ISU), Kuwait (KWI), Muscat (MCT), Mashad (MHD), Najaf (NJF), Sohar (OHS), Salalah (SLL), Shiraz (SYZ)

The Moon, a contrail and a 747 create an amazing photo taken by another 747 pilot Christiaan van Heijst.

Christiaan tells the story;

Chasing the illuminated contrail of another 747 Freighter halfway between Japan and California. The surface of the Pacific is hidden from sight by a thick layer of clouds for now, but the radiant moon is able to cast some shadows and depth in the world outside my windows. This time she is accompanied by a bright halo with parhelia and a rare lower tangent arc, formed by a thin layer of ice crystals in the upper atmosphere. According to superstition and folklore a premonition of bad weather.

Qatar Airways continues to fly people home during COVID-19 crisis becoming the world’s largest international airline.

To book click this link.

The airline says it is following strict staff bio-security screening procedures for staff operating the flights and is working with global and national authorities to implement the latest guidance on COVID-19 measures.

It has introduced upgraded aircraft cleaning procedures and has a young fleet with advanced air filter screening systems.

SEE The moon, a contrail and a 747.

The airline’s home state of Qatar has barred entry to foreign nationals but is still allowing passengers to transit through its hub at Hamad International Airport.

“Working with embassies around the world, the airline has operated one-off services from destinations such as Phnom Penh, Denpasar, Manila and Kuala Lumpur to Europe.

States that have introduced travel bans are allowing their own citizens to return, although with strict quarantine requirements. People who are not citizens or permanent residents are barred from entering an increasing number of countries.

Qatar Airways is also leading the way in making flying the safest form of transport from an operational and health perspective.

The airline is continually reviewing its processes for ensuring cabin cleanliness and all aircraft are disinfected regularly as part of the normal cleaning process and has led the industry since the Coronavirus started to spread.

After each flight into Doha, the aircraft interiors go through rigorous fumigation with all surfaces wiped down with special disinfectant.

See video here

Armrests, tray tables, video screens, sidewalls all get the treatment, while seat covers are removed. Even the ceiling is cleaned to a factory new condition.

But this is only the start with the airline’s staff trained with the latest hygiene protocols and cleaning procedures, using products recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Air Transport Association.

And most of the airline’s aircraft are fitted with the most advanced air filtration systems available in the market.

These systems are equipped with industrial-size HEPA filters that remove 99.97 per cent of viral and bacterial contaminants from re-circulated air, providing the most effective protection against infection

According to Dr David Powell, IATA’s Medical Advisor, “many people don’t realize, but the risk of contracting a virus onboard a flight is probably lower than in many confined spaces because modern aircraft have cabin air filtration systems equipped with HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters.”

“These filters have a similar performance to those used to keep the air clean in hospital operating rooms and industrial clean rooms.”

However, in most cases, the air in the cabin is replaced every two minutes.

The outside air, which humans cannot breathe because of the low atmospheric pressure is sucked into the aircraft’s compressors and filters, then heated or cooled as required and fed into the cabin for passengers to breathe.

After each flight, Qatar Airways washes all the linen and blankets, which are dried at 90 degrees centigrade, then pressed using an iron operated at 100 degrees centigrade.

The result is virtually new linen.

The laundry operators use gloves, and the items are sealed into individual packaging.

And the very important food that you will eat on board is prepared in kitchens of Qatar Aircraft Catering Company (QACC) which was the first organization in the world to achieve ISO22000:2018 certification from Bureau Veritas with UKAS accreditation, confirming QACC’s Food Safety Management System meets the highest standards.

You can literally eat your dinner off the floor at QACC.

The utensils and cutlery are washed with detergents and rinsed with demineralized freshwater at temperatures that kill pathogenic bacteria. All the sanitized equipment is handled by staff wearing hygienic disposable gloves, while cutlery is individually re-packed and again it’s like a hospital operating theatre.

But not only are the aircraft spotless but on the ground at the airline’s superb hub – Hamad International Airport – full and strict airport screening is in place where all arrivals from affected countries are screened to identify passengers with symptoms of COVID-19 (coronavirus).