Aviation is adjusting to the human race
There is no century in our existence as humans without
war, pestilence and natural disasters. Transport by land and sea have evolved
around these realities. Transport by air was achieved by us as we flew the
first commercial flight in 1914. We should not be surprised therefore, that air
transport would also need to make adjustments to our proclivity for war (in all
its modern iterations), pestilence (whether caused by our own indirect or
direct actions) and natural disasters (arguably worsened by us - now at ‘code
red’). Some lament that the glory days of flying are all but over. Gone are our
nostalgic reminiscences, romanticized in the sexy-dreamy-drama of PanAm, the
short-lived made for TV series. No real security checks, alcohol flowing and
cigars smoking ! But remember the major adjustments following 9/11?The stricter
security and prohibition of certain items in our carryon luggage - that was our
adjustment to ‘war’. Now comes Covid-19. By far the most devastating pandemic
since the Spanish Flu of 1918. Proof of vaccination / negative status /
quarantine / isolation - now required by most of the major airlines and
countries. But this should not come as a surprise. It was inevitable. Wasn’t
it? The pestilence of the 21st century …. yet another adjustment for aviation.