Europe is holding its breath – literally. It has since been two months since Europe’s social and economic life has been brought to its knees due to the lockdown and travel ban. How do we experience this situation both individually and as European companies?
In the last 22 years I, like many of my colleagues in the industry, have rarely spent longer than 4-5 days in one location. My meetings managed to reach into mid-March. Various conferences, and even a trip to Italy. Did I feel in danger? No, as I knew how to correctly behave given the health developments. Was this conveyed to me as a citizen? Unfortunately, not. I reached out myself to medical professionals. Was anyone in my immediate social circle infected? Also no, because we all informed ourselves.
It could have continued like this – or not? Frustration spread. Hindsight is 20-20. But in this case, it is not “hindsight” per se, but rather in the very presence of the situation.
Let us entertain ourselves to imagination:
Rewind to the earlier stages of the pandemic. It is mid-January 2020.
Covid19 is already spreading in Wuhan. Imagine that all European governments recognized the gravity of the situation in the early stages and activated already-existing pandemic plans – ordered and began production of medical equipment and PPE. Social health campaigns would have ramped up, reminding us of the all-too-important yet often neglected daily health standards and measures to avoid infecting ourselves or others. We would have informed the public based on science and not on fear. Television, advertisements, radio, social media… even police and public officials would have shared such information in an objective manner. Incorrect “risky” behaviour in this case is pesky and stems from old habits and not from ignorance originating in misunderstanding followed by rejection. Such ignorance is indeed avoidable. With the understanding of intelligent and consequential health- and hygienic measures as opposed to illogical and in some cases contradictory regulations, we can protect public health without locking the entire society inside. Europe could maintain a responsible social and economic life – reduced, but not destroyed.
It is not too late. Throughout Europe, citizens and companies alike have learned the importance of hygiene. We in Business Aviation industry have not only developed such hygienic policies but are also particularly capable of implementing them. Even before Covid19, our aircraft here at AirGO were cleaned thoroughly before each flight. AirGO’s fleet has sinks on board, and our passengers are offered refreshing wipes at their seat. Hand disinfection is also a standard item in our lavatory collection on board. Business Aviation terminals, as opposed to main commercial terminals, are not overcrowded while contact-points are minimized while upholding security standards.
Business Aviation passengers are themselves responsible, arriving with masks at the terminal building, keeping social distancing, behaving carefully. In the rare case where passengers do not have masks, AirGO also offers masks to its passengers – part of our complementary, point-to-point service. Indeed, comparable health policies are achievable across the industry once commercial aviation regains part of its pre-Covid19 importance.
Regions with higher infection rates must be distinguished from other regions with less to stable spread and should be regulated as such. The impact of the spread doesn’t follow the country borders. Each country has it’s hot spots which might need high level of isolation. But why banning business and travel between low effected regions in different European countries? We want to be a united Europe, but we have failed in this Corona-crisis. Within the EU, help ended often at the national border – truly a shame. We can do much better than this in Europe, and we in Business Aviation can vouch for this.
Each of us wants to return to enjoying our lives and work. We should be capable of thinking outside the box, collecting our strength, and avoiding the blame-game. Let us trust our fellow man and save our European welfare and wellbeing to stay capable to help others in worse condition. Each of us plays a part, and I see a willingness to do so. A light is on the horizon.
About AirGO Private Airline
We are a boutique airline offering on-demand flights all across Europe. AirGO entered the private charter market almost 20 years ago and we were the first ones to operate the Piaggio Avanti aircraft. Today we have a mono fleet of multiple of these aircraft. The Piaggio Avanti has a unique design both in interior and exterior. Its Italian design emerges in the sleek and stylish cabin layout providing necessary space for social distancing. It is the #1PrivateJet in terms of combination of cabin size, fuel consumption and operational cost. The distinct aerodynamic design of the fuselage contributes to the efficiency of the aircraft. The private plane consumes only around two-thirds of the fuel that other jets of the same size consume. This makes the Piaggio Avanti and an efficient and especially environmentally friendly private jet.
At AirGO sustainability is a central value that we are embracing in multiple areas of our business. Apart from our efficient aircraft, we are incorporating sustainability in our entire operation intending to reduce our CO2 emissions.
This is why we were the first ones in business aviation to introduce our carbon offset program, allowing our customers to compensate for the CO2 emissions by choosing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Visits us online www.airgo.de
Get in touch to book a flight sales@airgo.de