International Air Transport Association： ＂Looking forward to deepening innovative cooperation with China’s aviation industry＂
Conrad Clifford, vice-chairman of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said in an exclusive interview with this reporter recently that China’s measures to optimize the management of personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries and promote the gradual normalization of personnel exchanges between China and foreign countries will have a positive impact on the global aviation industry and the global economic recovery.
Recently, many international investment institutions predicted that with the optimization and adjustment of epidemic prevention and control measures in China, China’s economy will continue to boost rapidly. Clifford believes that China’s economic prospects are improving, which is good news for the aviation industry and the global economy. In early December last year, IATA released a report on economic outlook and industry status, which predicted that the global airline net profit would reach 4.7 billion US dollars in 2023. This was based on the assumption that China might adjust its epidemic prevention and control measures in the second half of 2023. "Obviously, the actual situation is much better than previously expected. In January this year, China resumed its outbound travel in an orderly manner, earlier than expected, which will have an important impact on the recovery of the global air transport industry. " Clifford said that the International Monetary Fund recently raised its global economic growth forecast for 2023, partly because China’s optimization and adjustment of epidemic prevention measures will improve China’s economic growth prospects, and the global aviation industry and the world economy will benefit a lot from it.
During the Spring Festival this year, the number of people entering and leaving China exceeded 2.87 million, with a daily average of 410,000, a year-on-year increase of 120.5%. The overall outbound orders of China tourists increased by 640% year-on-year, and the cross-border air ticket orders increased by more than four times. "I am very optimistic about the recovery of tourism in China, and its growth may exceed the pre-epidemic level." Clifford said that China is an important market for air travel, and the return of tourists from China plays an important role in the recovery of global tourism. In January this year, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) issued a statement opposing the entry restrictions adopted by some countries against China. Clifford once again stressed: "Today, we have the tools to deal with Covid-19, and we don’t have to resort to measures to cut off international connectivity, damage the economy and destroy employment. Governments must make decisions based on scientific facts. "
"The development and digital innovation of C919 aircraft project is extremely important for the sustained growth of China aviation industry. A strong aviation industry will provide a strong impetus for national development, create a large number of employment opportunities, and help the economy develop with high quality. " Clifford said that the development of China’s aviation industry has attracted worldwide attention. China independently developed the C919 large passenger plane, which provided a new choice for global airlines. In the future, airlines can match the appropriate aircraft according to their business plans.
"The acceleration of innovation in China’s civil aviation sector is a cause for concern. In terms of digital marketing, China aviation market is in a leading position in the world. With the recovery of air travel, we expect China to launch more innovative measures. " Clifford said that the digitalization of aviation industry is one of the priorities of IATA, and the smart civil aviation construction of CAAC and the industry goal of IATA in the past three years — — The digital transformation of airlines fits well, including the digitalization of passenger and freight processes, and "we look forward to deepening innovative cooperation with China aviation industry".