1.7Million Middle East Jobs Will Be Lost Due To COVID-19 And Border Closures
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned that the damage being done to the Middle Eastaviation industry and oneconomies by the shutdown of air traffic owing to the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened.According to new data published today bythe Air Transport Action Group of which IATA is a member:
- 1.7millionMiddle Eastjobs will be lost in aviation and industries supported by aviation in 2020. This is nearly half of the region’s 3.3 million aviation-related employment.
- 323,000jobs will be lost in aviation alone in 2020. This is about 46% of the region’s 595,000 aviation[1] related jobs.
- GDP supported by aviation in the region will fall by up to $105billion. This is 49% below pre COVID-19 levels.
“This latest research highlights the urgency of restarting aviation in the Middle East.Normally aviation contributes $213 billion to the region’s GDP. Closing borders has reduced this to $108 billion. That loss has severe consequences, not least of which is the loss of 1.7 million jobs. Governments in the Middle East mustprotect their citizens from COVID-19 while also protecting their livelihoods,”said Muhammad Albakri, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East.
Testing to Restart Aviation in the Middle East
To minimize the impact on jobs and the broader Middle Easteconomy, an accelerated recovery of air transport across the region is paramount. This can be achieved through COVID-19 testing as an alternative to restrictive quarantine measures.
Elevencountries in the Middle Easthave opened their borders to regional and international air travel. However,in nine of these countries, passengers are still subject to a mandatory quarantine. This effectively stops people from travelling. IATA is calling for the systematic testing of passengers before departure. This will enable governments to safely open borders without quarantine and bettersupport recovery efforts.
“Quarantine measures are cripplingthe industry’s recovery and hampering its ability to support social and economic development. Testing for COVID-19will enable the Middle Eastand the world to safely re-connect and recover,” said Albakri.
