Continued from page 80
members include environmental groups and local authorities. It is a member of the industry’s Sustainable Aviation coalition and the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation which works with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). The AEF acknowledges
“aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise” and points out: “Pre-pandemic, the sector’s emissions globally were more than twice those of the entire UK economy.” International air travel is
not part of the official agenda at Cop26 because ICAO takes the lead on aviation emissions and will host a summit on the issue in 2022. However, a series of events
were due around the Glasgow conference on Wednesday, designated Transport Day, to showcase new aviation technologies and alternative fuels and the UK government was due to launch a declaration in support of setting a long-term climate goal at ICAO next year. But the AEF warned:
“Aviation is likely to stand out increasingly as a problematic sector and even more so if the focus is on near-term dates like 2030 as technologies to decarbonise flight are still in their infancy.” It pointed out: “Just 1% of
the global population generate around half of global aviation emissions” and suggested measures “necessary to tackle emissions include less flying, ending airport expansion, making airlines accountable for their emissions [and] developing genuine zero carbon fuels and technologies”.
Walsh: Airport fees and oil costs will trigger fare rises
Iata director general Willie Walsh warned of “pressure on the cost base” from high oil prices and increased airport charges as air traffic recovers. Latest Iata figures showed
“a moderate rebound” in air travel in September “driven by recovery in domestic markets” led by China. But Walsh said: “We
don’t expect a sudden rebound.” He hit out at airport plans to
raise charges, citing Amsterdam Schiphol’s plan for a 37% increase, and warned: “The [other] issue that is going to impact on fares in the short term is the high price of oil. Airlines have no choice but to reflect the costs of operating.” Walsh noted recent agreements
to support the restart of travel by G20 leaders and the International Civil Aviation Organisation, but said: “Each reopening comes with different rules. The important thing now is for states to harmonise rules.” He also called on governments
“to create the right policy framework in relation to developing sustainable aviation fuels”. Iata reported international air
traffic in September remained 69% down on 2019, but 57% down in Europe compared with 93% in Asia-Pacific, 67% in the Middle East and 61% in North America.
NCL boss predicts full recovery by next year
Ian Taylor
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has forecast a full recovery by the second half of 2022 and will not cut prices to boost demand. NCL Holdings president and
chief executive Frank Del Rio insisted: “We’re not willing to sacrifice pricing. Rather than chase bookings, we chose to wait for consumer demand to return.” Reporting results for the three
months to September, Del Rio said: “We’re not in a race to raise volume. We want to maintain price discipline. We’ve seen time and again companies drop prices [and] it takes years and years to get prices back up.” He hailed the relaunch of 11 of the
group’s 28 ships this summer and said: “We’ll have 17 ships in the water by the end of the year and introduce 11 between January and April 1. We’re getting ready for a big marketing push.” Del Rio reported “robust demand
78 11 NOVEMBER 2021
Frank Del Rio
particularly for the second half of 2022 and beyond when our full fleet is expected to be back in operation at normalised occupancy levels”. For now, the fleet continues to operate with caps on occupancy. He confirmed ships will “continue
to operate with a 100% vaccination requirement [which] continues to offer a competitive advantage”. Del Rio added: “Our booking
position for 2022 is meaningfully ahead of 2019 and with higher pricing. We are better booked than at
any single time in the past.” This is despite a slowdown
in bookings this summer due to “consumer concerns surrounding the Delta variant”. Del Rio insisted: “We expect to see some fits and starts but we are ready to adapt. “We expect the full fleet to be
back by April 1 next year and pre- pandemic occupancy levels no later than the beginning of Q3 2022, just in time for the peak season.” The group reported advance
ticket sales worth $1.7 billion at the end of September, including $750 million in future cruise credits (FCCs), with Del Rio noting “approximately 60% of outstanding FCCs have been retrieved”. He reported a net loss of
$846 million for the three months to September compared with a $678 million loss in the same period in 2020, with losses rising due to the cost of bringing ships back into operation.
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Steve Dunlop
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