GLOBAL CIVIL AVIATION RECOVERY POST COVID-19

Restoring integrity and trust with The Way to Happiness

The civil aviation industry was unarguably the first major casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic towards the beginning of 2020 when countries around the world closed their borders and literally cancelled air travel. Twelve months on, and as of March 2021, while domestic travel has restarted in some countries, and in the likes of China, has gone back to pretty much pre-Covid levels, international passenger travel has still not resumed properly and it is estimated that it will take until at least 2024 for civil aviation to achieve pre-pandemic operations. But this is not certain.

On the 15-16 March 2021, the Royal Aeronautical Society hosted a two-day conference, Aviation recovery post-Covid-19: a pragmatic near-term perspective, to examine and discuss immediate practical and actionable steps being taken or considered across the industry to drive a successful recovery for the civil aviation sector after what has been described as the most sweeping and challenging circumstances ever experienced in the industry.

A key recurring theme in the conference was the unquestionable need to restore integrity, trust, collaboration and cooperation across the boards.

I present herewith a brief summary of the messages I took away from the conference, and explain why I believe The Way to Happiness to be a simple but vital tool for recovering and rehabilitating that lost trust and integrity between individuals, groups, companies, governments, and whole nations, and actually raise them to new heights.

“In moments of social chaos and conflict, ‘The Way to Happiness’ works to restore the bonds that unite Mankind —

as a common sense guide that can be followed by anyone of any race, colour or creed.”

The Way to Happiness Foundation

CONFERENCE SUMMARY

The conference was split into four segments, each covering a specific topic of discussion:

1.   The challenges

2.   International perspectives

3.   Short-term pragmatic solutions and opportunities

4.   The changing passenger experience

Speakers from across the industry including the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Aer Lingus, British Airways, Melbourne Airport Executive Team, Surbana Jurong Private Ltd (Singapore), Eurocontrol, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Rolls-Royce, Airbus, Cranfield University, and more (see conference programme) delivered pertinent and timely perspectives with respect to the current status quo of global civil aviation, and grabbing this moment as an opportunity to re-think everything from airport design, aircraft cabin design, new aircraft design, aviation environmental issues and alternative aviation fuels, to air traffic management, airline management and business structures, the changing passenger experience, passenger health, and of course rebuilding passenger travel to the levels enjoyed prior to the Covid-19 outbreak.

The golden thread throughout the conference was safe and sustainable aviation recovery after a 97% drop in international travel, but accomplishing this recovery from a fresh new viewpoint and way of doing things – a phoenix rising from the ashes.

However, the need for cooperation and collaboration between all parties including nations and governments as well as the need to restore trust, integrity, unity and solidarity were themes which recurred at regular intervals throughout the conference.

While Mr Creamer, Director Air Navigation Bureau at ICAO, gave a high-level overview of ICAO’s various plans and programmes, emphasis was put on the real need for collaboration between states right now. Some states are working better than others in handling the situation with aviation, and clearly we want to see civil aviation recover in all member states as fast as possible.

Mr Simon McNamara of IATA presented a stack of recent statistics showing how intensive polling by IATA indicated that people want to travel, with 87% believing that Covid-19 will not disappear so we need to manage its risks while living and travelling normally, 62% being frustrated by Covid-19 air travel restrictions and 46% thinking that air travel restrictions have gone too far. However, 84% of people will not travel if there is a chance of quarantine, highlighting the need for a coordinated plan and effort between all nations to harmonise international travel.

IATA is taking a global approach by pursuing a global initiative to jointly develop and agree re-start roadmaps with governments, so that a return to unrestricted travel as quickly and safely as possible is achieved, with the need for cooperation and trust being paramount.

Similar sentiments were again expressed by Dr Randolph Kent, Senior Associate Fellow at RUSI, on discussing security and resilience. Dr Kent aptly highlighted the statement made in September 2020 by UN Secretary-General,  António Guterres, that, “The pandemic is a clear test of international cooperation — a test we have essentially failed,” and further attributing the spread of the outbreak and excessive casualties to “a lack of global preparedness, cooperation, unity and solidarity.”

Other highlighted issues included the observable pandemic “nationalism” showed by a number of countries and how working on total risk elimination strategies instead of risk mitigation, cannot be a workable risk management system. Becoming completely risk-averse is not feasible since we face countless risks on a daily basis by virtue of living. We do not stop living, we simply manage risks.

Important questions were raised about how can we deal with future global threats if we continue to see disjointed efforts and the continuing eroding of trust and cooperation? How can we build trust and bonds between governments?

These sentiments of the primal need to rebuild trust, solidarity, cooperation and collaboration between individuals, groups and nations were shared by all speakers during the conference.

REBUILDING TRUST, INTEGRITY, COOPERATION AND SOLIDARITY

WITH THE WAY TO HAPPINESS

What is The Way to Happiness?

The Way to Happiness is the first non-religious moral code based wholly on common sense, originally published in 1981, its purpose being to help arrest the current moral decline in society and restore integrity and trust to humankind. The Way to Happiness further holds a Guinness Record as the world’s single most translated non-religious book in the world (over 100 languages).

Written by American philosopher L. Ron Hubbard, it fills the moral vacuum in an increasingly materialistic society, containing 21 basic principles that guide one to a better quality of life. This code of conduct can be followed by anyone, of any race, colour or creed and works to restore the bonds that unite humankind.

Examples of the 21 basic principles include taking care of oneself, setting a good example in work and in life, fulfilling one’s obligations, being industrious and being competent, respecting the religious beliefs of others, being worthy of trust, safeguarding and improving one’s environment. Each section offers practical tips and solutions to achieving success in practice with each principle and how to help others do so. It is a win-win proposition and works at the fundamental level of human virtues and goodwill.

The Way to Happiness is a simple, straightforward and direct guide to good choices. It helps individuals make positive decisions or choices, and those decisions and choices have an effect on everyone.

Programmes and Results

The Way to Happiness Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation which runs global educational programmes and distributes The Way to Happiness book from some of the most deprived countries of the world to downtown Los Angeles and even the London 2012 Olympics. It offers a wide range of initiatives, ideas and programmes to restore peace and trust in all walks of life, such as for police programmes, crisis zones, governments, community groups, parents, teenagers, workplaces, businesses etc. It’s website is available in 18 languages.

Visit The Way to Happiness Foundation programmes and results page here for a list of sample programmes and extensive database of results across the globe.

Use of The Way to Happiness is not limited to the sample initiatives listed above. It can be used in any project which requires a restoration of trust, goodwill, peace and kindness. Civil aviation recovery post-Covid is no exception and could benefit enormously through the application of this invaluable tool.

In order for the civil aviation industry to recover, all participants need to get together and trust must be restored between all players, including passengers. It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to ensure that we are not ill when travelling, to ensure that we are honest with each other, do our bit for the environment, help people of goodwill, take care not to drink to excess and become a nuisance to other passengers in the cabin, and so on and so forth. From a business perspective, employees need to do their bit, follow company procedures, be honest with themselves and their colleagues, be competent in their job, ensure that they are also keeping their health in order etc. But whatever the group, whether a small company or a whole government, it boils down to individuals.

Example Initiatives

On aircraft and in flight:

The Way to Happiness is a simple book, small in size but highly effective. It can be easily placed in aircraft seat pockets with other airline literature, or to save on printing and paper, can be printed within an airline magazine. Available in over 100 languages, it is easily accessible to all airlines of the world.

Passengers travelling in aircraft have plenty of time on their hands once they have securely settled themselves in the cabin. This is the time when they will often look through the airline magazines and other publications in the seat pockets. It is a perfect opportunity for individuals to relax and read, and take with them knowledge which can positively impact their life.

The Way to Happiness has also been beautifully produced as an award-winning audio-visual book-on-film presentation of around 2.5 hours with public service announcements (PSAs) of 30 to 60 seconds for each of the 21 principles. Having this film available as part of the inflight entertainment catalogue would be very wise indeed and a treat to passengers.

In the workplace, at home, in airports:

The Way to Happiness deals head-on with the severe decline of moral values in our society and extends to places such as the home and the work place.

We live in a world of immorality and rising criminality. We feel the repercussions of this on a daily basis. Employee theft causes one-third of all bankruptcies and costs employers $1 billion a year. Insurance fraud exceeds $80 billion annually from faked accidents, injuries and illnesses.

Behaviours that were once thought unacceptable such as lying, cheating and covering up mistakes have become quite commonplace in today’s workplace. Couple this with increased substance abuse problems, interpersonal conflicts, low morale, absenteeism and staff turnover and there is no doubt that this crisis needs an effective solution.

At the root of it all is a loss of basic morals and values necessary to create unsurpassed integrity in the workplace.

Helping to restore trust and honesty is The Way to Happiness, a common sense guide to better living. This non-religious publication with its twenty-one core principles guides an individual towards ethical choices, especially when faced with tough decisions.

Used by corporate executives, community leaders and educators for more than twenty-five years, The Way to Happiness has proven an unqualified success at changing employee attitudes, conduct and the ability to solve problems.

For large public events:

Large public events such as Olympics Games, Football Word Cups, etc. can all benefit from The Way to Happiness. Over one million copies of The Way to Happiness booklet were distributed around London during the 2012 Olympic Games, contributing to a violence-free, peaceful Olympic Games season.

Thinking of the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, here is a typical event where the use of The Way to Happiness public service announcements and booklet, can truly benefit organisers and participants. Being non-religious and available in over 100 languages, The Way to Happiness is an effective tool to promote peace and collaboration during international events which attract people from many nations, with different cultures and religions.

If you would like more information about The Way to Happiness programmes and initiatives, please get in touch with me by phone or email. Tel: +44 (0)753 328 1098  Email: delphineryan@protonmail.com.

References and links:

The Way to Happiness Foundation https://www.thewaytohappiness.org/

Royal Aeronautical Society https://www.aerosociety.com/

Royal Aero Society Conference Programme: Aviation recovery post-Covid-19: a pragmatic near-term perspective

International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART) https://www.icao.int/covid/cart/Pages/default.aspx

ICAO Collaborative Arrangement for the Prevention and Management of Public Health Events in Civil Aviation – CAPSCA https://www.icao.int/safety/CAPSCA/Pages/default.aspx

International Air Transport Association (IATA) https://www.iata.org/

Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) https://rusi.org/

Cranfield University Centre for Air Transport Management https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/centres/centre-for-air-transport-management

Cranfield University Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre

https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/centres/digital-aviation-research-and-technology-centre

United Nations, Secretary-General statement September 2020

https://www.un.org/press/en/2020/sc14312.doc.htm

Eurocontrol  https://www.eurocontrol.int/