Innsbruck Airport registered short-time work for the majority of its workforce with effect from October 1, 2020. Traditionally, the winter season is particularly important for the Tyrolean airport, because many skiers and snowboarders arrive on charter flights and use this airport.

In the Corona year, however, everything is a little different, because numerous states declared Innsbruck and / or Tyrol a risk area. As a result, holidaymakers have to be quarantined when they return. Of course, this has a negative effect on demand. But what actually has to happen to get Innsbruck and the whole industry up and running again?

Aviation Direct spoke about this with airport managing director Marco Pernetta, who also reports in detail how hard the last few months have been for him and his workforce. Tyroleans do not let themselves get down, this motto can certainly also be found at Innsbruck Airport, because one looks to the future with high tension.

We are currently waiting eagerly to see how the situation will develop before winter, which is so important for us. But one thing can already be said: We are really happy about every flight that takes place! We certainly lost this feeling in the winter before Corona.

Marco Pernetta, Managing Director of Innsbruck Airport.

Aviation.Direct: What steps must governments and the EU take to enable the aviation and tourism industries to survive and make a comeback?
Marco Peretta: The most important steps would of course have to be taken once in each country in order to get the increased number of infections under control. On the other hand, it should urgently be reconsidered whether the previous limit values ​​should not be adjusted, since far fewer people of the many infected people currently have to be treated in hospital than in the spring at the beginning of the pandemic. An internationally coordinated procedure would be urgently required for this and the EU in particular could play a positive pioneering role here! What would speak against lifting travel warnings within the EU? At the moment it shouldn't really depend on where you are, but how you behave there! You can already see very clearly that the behavior of many people, especially in their familiar surroundings, contributes many times more to the spread of the virus than the travel activity that has almost come to a standstill.

Aviation.Direct: Some airlines and the IATA argue that quick tests should be carried out before departure. This could be done, for example, during the security check. What do you think of performing quick tests before every departure and how could they be implemented for you?
Marco Peretta: I haven't really understood this concept yet because it's not the flight itself that is being criticized. The system might make sense on business travel routes, but here in Tyrol, with a high proportion of incoming guests from all over the world, it should be difficult. What happens to the English family when, for example, a completely symptom-free child is tested positive for the rapid test before departure? Will the whole family stay here at their own expense? Where should they go? Then who pays for it? So I don't think people will volunteer to get tested at the resort before their return flight. When you arrive at home, things may look different, so you can go home and wait for the further tests. Because there is still something else: the quick tests still have a relatively high error rate. By the time I get the result of the more precise PCR test, my plane is long gone.

Aviation.Direct: Please describe a little how you and your employees experienced the sudden quasi-standstill in aviation and what feelings and thoughts did you have? How was the mood with you when the air traffic gradually started up again?
Marco Peretta: Emotionally, of course, these have been extremely challenging months since mid-March! For everyone involved! It started in March when we checked in the last passengers from the Tyrolean ski areas, who suddenly stood in the terminal with masks on, while all the doctors assured us that we didn't need any masks. There was a very strange and depressed mood in the terminal. During the lockdown it was of course almost scary to be standing all alone in the large terminal. Short-time work and the sudden home office were a completely new situation for the employees as well. In the end, however, everyone was definitely happy again when we reopened for general aviation on May 1st. Even more important was the start of scheduled air traffic by Austrian on the Vienna route at the end of June. In July we were actually on the right track with scheduled and charter flights; However, the various travel warnings then led to the ongoing collapse in demand. Step by step, routes were completely discontinued, flight programs were merged and the inclusion of further routes was postponed by months. On October 1st, we went back to short-time work, which of course means another cut for many employees. We are currently waiting eagerly to see how the situation will develop before winter, which is so important for us. But one thing can already be said: We are actually happy about every flight that takes place! We certainly lost this feeling in the winter before Corona.