IATA organized Caribbean Aviation Day highlighting steps to achieve full recovery in the region

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents some 290 airlines comprising 83% of the world’s air traffic, concluded the fourth Caribbean Aviation Day, which was held under the theme «Recover, Reconnect and Revive». More than 250 delegates from across the aviation and tourism value chain participated.

The event took place in the Cayman Islands and was part of a series of events focusing on both industries organised by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and the government of the British Overseas Territory.

Peter Cerdá, IATA’s Regional Vice President for the Americas, said in his opening remarks that the region is currently in a positive period of recovery. With the «right business environment», he said, «aviation could once again become a strong contributor to the socio-economic wellbeing of the Caribbean region».

At the beginning of 2020 and before the onset of the pandemic, aviation and tourism contributed 13.9% of gross domestic product and accounted for 15.2% of all jobs in the region. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), in 2019, eight of the ten most tourism-dependent countries globally were in the Caribbean.

The road to full recovery

IATA highlighted a series of desirable measures to recover, and even surpass, that level. These include strengthening air connections within the region, promoting multi-destination itineraries and collaboration between governments to «modernise and simplify the outdated policies and procedures which pose operational challenges to airlines and adversely affect the travelers’ experience.

In the same vein, they stressed the importance of creating a «competitive cost environment». According to the association, taxes and fees account, on average, for 30% of the total value of an airline ticket in the region, twice the global average. The event highlighted the importance of administrations «being prudent» in this regard. «Along similar lines, air navigation service providers need to ensure that their charges remain appropriate for the actual service provided», they added.

«Governments and stakeholders voiced their support for the identified industry priorities during the Aviation Day», Cerdá explained. «We now expect to see the appropriate actions and decisions», he concluded.

See also: José Ricardo Botelho, CEO of ALTA: «Aviation is a tool for development and inclusion»