The COVID-19 pandemic has had an undeniable impact on our ability to travel and visit new places. During the start of the virus, we were in a state of lockdown, only being allowed out of the house into the public once a day and with constant social distancing. We then went back to ‘normal’ for the summertime, but after the return to school, the cases grew so high we were plunged into another lockdown from January 2021 to the beginning of March. Although we all managed to go back to our somewhat normal routines, the ban on certain travel routes remained and we were forced to spend another summer in the UK (apart from the lucky few who managed to get to other countries that weren’t on the red list). The impact COVID-19 has had on shops and other businesses are well known, but the struggles of the air travel industry sing a vastly unheard song.

 

During the pandemic, air travel plummeted. It was forbidden to leave or enter the country unless strictly necessary, which obviously caused a lot of long-term damage. While some people might have thought that this long-standing industry could survive with little impact, they were proved completely wrong. Flight attendants, pilots, baggage handlers, air traffic controllers (and the list goes on) were all heavily affected by coronavirus. They lost their jobs or were deemed secondary workers and ended up being furloughed. With their income and livelihoods becoming increasingly unreliable, many tried to find other work but were unable to. 

 

Even now as airports are partially opening up again, many of the previous employees have found themselves without jobs to return to. The machinery and the condition of the aircraft increasingly deteriorated until they needed significant mechanical attention to make them function as they used to. As the economy worsens, and the impact of the Russian-Ukraine conflict are felt, the price of fuel to operate the airplanes increases.  This leads to the prices of flights going up so that the extra money made can be used to pay for the increasingly costly fuel, leading to fewer people being able to fly. Will the lockdown-caused trend of ‘staycations’ continue into the foreseeable future, possibly leading the way in a new, more cost-effective and carbon-friendly lifestyle?