I can leave on holiday, I can’t leave, I can leave...

Are you at a loss as well? You’re not alone. We’ve been getting contradictory reports all week. One moment things are looking up and the next our hopes are quashed. The main thing to remember is that it’s a good thing that there’s so much travel news in the media. The easing of restrictions has clearly whetted our appetite for travel! All those videos, stunning pictures and invitations for virtual trips are starting to get boring so now it’s time for the real deal. When and how will travel be possible again?

STEP 1: We need a positive travel advisory from the Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

At the moment a negative travel advisory is still in place for all non-essential travel to all destinations. As long as this travel ban isn’t lifted it doesn’t matter what is published in the media. For instance, if Greece and Austria open their borders tomorrow we still can’t travel there. This advice is based on the situation in our own country and the bilateral agreements with the various destinations.

At the Security Council meeting of 24 April it was decided that this travel advice will be adjusted at the earliest on 18 May for domestic day trips and on 8 June for foreign travel. All of this is by no means certain. On 6 May the Security Council decided to make a small change. Domestic day trips are also pushed back to 8 June at the earliest. This means all forms of travel, domestic and foreign, are excluded before 8 June. This advice is what really matters. As soon as the advisories change the following steps can be set in motion.

STEP 2: Airports must reopen

At Brussels Airport there’s still a minimum of activity but Charleroi Airport, for instance, has been closed altogether since 24 March. The airports themselves are looking to reopen in early June, in compliance with the recommendations of the National Security Council. At the moment no commercial flights are landing at the airports of Antwerp and Ostend either. In turn, the airports are looking to the airlines because reopening is obviously useless if there are no flights.

Charleroi Airport claims to have the resources to stay closed for the rest of the year if necessary. Reports on Brussels Airport, however, are rather worrying, especially if no government support is forthcoming. No announcements have been made as to when the individual airports will reopen.

STEP 3: Airlines have to fly again

Steps 2 and 3 more or less go hand in hand. However, there is a risk that some airlines will not survive the crisis. Just think of the ongoing talks between Lufthansa, the parent company of Brussels Airlines, and the Belgian government. Several airlines including Ryanair, KLM, SAS... have already announced plans for mass redundancies across staff, pilots and cabin crew. Also, it is still uncertain who will be serving which destinations but a lot has been happening in this regard over the last week or so. Click here for our article on the reboot of the aviation sector.

Without underestimating the gravity of the situation, it is still important to keep in mind that people often try to exert pressure during negotiations. Threats of mass redundancy ring a number of bells for the government. Fortunately there have been no major social bloodbaths or bankruptcies yet but we must assume there will be a certain amount of damage.

STEP 4: You have to be welcome at your destination

We have our own corona measures but so do all other countries. These are directly linked to the evolution of the pandemic, which differs from one destination to the next. Whereas restrictions are slowly being eased in Belgium, other countries have yet to experience the peak of the infection. For instance, France originally decided to place all visitors from Belgium under quarantine for two weeks, a message that was later retracted.

This step will depend for a large extent on the bilateral agreements. Last week the European tourism ministers pitched the idea of establishing ‘corridors’. These are agreements between countries where the virus is well under control. This approach would involve the installation of safe air bridges between any two countries.

STEP 5: All regulations must be observed

The future of travel is impossible to predict but several airlines have already announced the mandatory use of face masks. There’s also talk of introducing a Covid-19 passport to document your status: healthy, infected or immune. Other rules such as social distancing and stricter hygiene rules will be in force everywhere, from the hotel to the beach or the restaurant.

Hopefully the sector will be able to standardise these rules and gear them to each other, much like the security procedures at airports. Things will get confusing if every country or airline starts implementing its own rules.

STEP 6: It’s best to call on a travel professional

The events of last March made it abundantly clear how important it is to call on a travel professional. People who made their own reservations were left to their own devices and had to find their own way back home. Those travellers who booked with a Uniglobe travel professional were not abandoned. Even now we continue to monitor the situation closely. Feel free to contact us with all your questions about business or holiday travel.

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SUMMARY:

Until further notice 8 June is the only date to watch. As soon as travel restrictions are eased, all subsequent steps will be set in motion and that long-awaited trip will finally be coming closer! Like you we are looking forward to the next National Security Council meeting.