Aviation and COVID-19

"If life had a training manual crises wouldn't be included. That is where our evolutionary ability to be adaptable is crucial. Adaptability means being fluid enough to move and solid enough to be successful."

-Lorraine Diaz Maldonado

For months now the world has been battered by COVID-19, also known as Coronavirus. It has effectively destroyed human lives, significantly weakened economies, collapsed businesses, stomped on global supply chains, and created a wave of unemployment for millions.

One of the industries we know and love, Aviation, has been struck down to its knees due to travel bans and restrictions surrounding health concerns. Because of this, so many aircraft mechanics, sheet metal technicians, and avionics technicians have been either furloughed or laid off with no relief in sight.

Is this permanent?

Anyone who claims to know what the future holds is only making predictions. These guesses, calculated or wild, are exactly that. So what do we actually know? Here are the facts:

• This is reminiscent of SARS in 2003. Readiness and prevention have been addressed with the creation of new guidelines from the CDC. These have evolved with the current pandemic.
• Entire airline structures have changed to help ship more cargo, making them more stable and easing the loss of revenue because of the lack of passenger travel.
• The human spirit is resilient, even in the face of adversity
• Businesses have begun to take on more fluid models in terms of work and how services are delivered
• People will always need goods, services, and international travel
• Many of our skills are applicable to other, more virtual, fields

"Pivot" is the new black

Buzzwords like "pivot", "new normal", and "social distancing" are probably the hottest words on the planet right now besides, of course, "amid". The word "pivot" offers insight to any entity's ability to be fluid and successful around all the uncertainty. Where can we see real-world examples of this in aviation?

• Due to the drop in travel, gasoline costs hit a historic low. This drop in gas prices combined with less tedious airworthiness requirements, since cargo travel has taken place of passenger travel, is allowing for a unique outcome in terms of airlines being able to continue making money and keep the lights on.
• Airports have increased the number of air ambulances and military flights. This is not only necessary in the fight against the pandemic, but also aids in creating revenue.
• Supersonic travel is gaining more momentum. Less travel time and fewer passengers offers an attractive new way of getting around while addressing a desire to lower exposure rates for potential outbreaks down the road.