Hardly any other industry has been hit as hard by the corona pandemic as aviation and tourism. For a few weeks now, the hopes have been in the vaccinations and the Green Pass, which should enable largely unrestricted travel at least within the European Union. In many countries, however, the rate of vaccination is rather slow, which has meanwhile also caused great concern to the international aviation association IATA. State Secretary Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) does not see this danger.

“We will be able to travel again in summer, so book your summer vacation,” said State Secretary Magnus Brunner (ÖVP). “We are all very tired with this situation, but the worst is behind us. We are now experiencing a vaccination turbo ”. The politician also points out that all further opening steps must be taken cautiously, but perspectives must be set for all areas. “The green pass will play a crucial role. We all wish for normality again. In the flight sector we had a decline of 74 percent and that was huge, so it is all the more important to have a perspective ”, says Brunner.

According to current surveys by the Chamber of Commerce, the Austrians are still very hesitant when it comes to booking. If at all, beach destinations are preferred, although bookings tend to be made at short notice. Long-distance and city trips should be less popular at the moment. 

“We are working hard to ensure that the quarantine regulations are lifted. This applies both to the destination country and when returning to Austria. If there is no relaxation here, there will hardly be any new bookings. We are working hard to make it easy to travel with the Green Pass again, ”explains State Secretary Brunner. “An EU-wide solution has priority, but we want to implement this in Austria earlier. I assume that the relevant resolutions will be taken at the end of May 2021. In addition, we want to conclude bilateral agreements ”.

If the quarantine regulations are not revised, the Green Pass would be unusable, according to Brunner. “It is crucial that these are lifted. As soon as the Green Pass can be put into operation, the quarantine regulations must fall, ”explains Brunner. “How the citizens get to the Green Pass will be clarified in the next few days. A big advantage in Austria is that all Covid vaccinations are registered ”. The green passport should be valid around 22 days after the first vaccination.

Ganghofer: "The decline is stronger than last year"

“The decline of 74 percent in the previous year is only so 'low' because it was still possible to fly normally for around two and a half months. This year the decline is even stronger, because the traffic has defacto completely broken down ”, says Salzburg Airport Director Bettina Ganghofer. “The short-time working was a great help for the airports, because it meant that jobs could be retained because we know that things will improve again at some point”.

The manager does not see the Green Pass as a real innovation and points out that vaccinations had to be proven earlier when entering certain countries. The only new thing is that a simple solution is created via an app. “The airlines, travel agents and tour operators desperately need business again. In my opinion, the planned summer program is bombastic. Right at the top is Greece, which is offered from almost all Austrian airports, ”said Ganghofer. “We also used the time to make flying from Austria safe in coordination with the BMK. Hard work was also carried out in the target countries. The AUA wants to serve around 80 percent of the program in the summer and that shows that there will be a lot on offer.

The controls at the airport should be carried out in the same way as passport controls. There are also alternative models that are technically based. According to Ganghofer, the largest “test airport” is Vienna. The airport will share its experience with the federal state airports. A decision on the technical implementation at the airports is to be made in the next few days.

“We have learned a lot in the last few months. The experiences that we have made across Europe will flow into all decisions. We are in a different situation than last year. If we manage vaccination coverage across Europe by summer. I do not expect the situation from last summer to repeat itself. It is clear, however, that you must react quickly and flexibly. We do not assume that there will be quarantine overnight, ”said Brunner.

WKO: "Book now"

Most travel agency employees are currently still on short-time work. Normally around 80 percent of the advance bookings for the summer have already been landed at this time of the year. According to WKO specialist group chairman Gregor Canada, this is not the case this year. “Tourism needs open borders in order to survive,” said the official. “The current entry regulations apply until the end of May. This causes a quarantine for most people. That is an obstacle to travel. The green passport is supposed to replace the quarantine and that is a good sign. Many European countries have already announced their new rules. If the return journey to Austria also works, then that gives you security for the booking ”.

According to Kadanka, the exact Austrian rules will be announced in the next few days. “The travel agents recommend that you inquire about travel options now. If you want to be on the safe side, you can book flexible packages, ”said the WKO official.