To say that 2020 has been a turbulent year for the commercial
aviation industry is certainly an understatement. Various
high-profile airlines such as Virgin Australia, Flybe and Avianca
(Colombia) have already collapsed, while others had to resort to
state-aid in order to keep afloat such as the Lufthansa Group
(which includes Austrian Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines
and Brussels Airlines) and the Air France-KLM Group.
Over the past few weeks most countries in Europe have been
re-opening their borders and thus providing a much-needed stimulus
to the tourism industry as well as to airlines. Nonetheless, it
would be naïve for the commercial aviation industry to assume
that they are out of the woods but rather that they have been
thrown a lifeline.
