Aviation continues to be disproportionally impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Airline cash-flows are down to a trickle, and airports, once buzzing with activity, sit eerily silent for long stretches. Airlines alone are set to lose more than $50 billion in 2021, and air-travel demand will take a while to return. Concurrently, there is also another challenge looming: Air travel is witnessing complex asymmetric rules that speak to each country, to politics and to public opinion. Countries are now mandating health protocols that, in many cases, are going beyond the purview of aviation. They are also negotiating “bubble” arrangements that temporarily bypass bilateral agreements. Consequently, air travel that depends on collectively agreed, universally accepted and uniform standards faces a stormy ride.
