Mideast, African governments fail to protect airlines

Middle Eastern and African governments are failing to take the action required to protect their airlines from the economic crisis caused by the new coronavirus pandemic, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.

Several states have stepped in to help their airlines that have seen travel demand decimated by the global outbreak, such as the United States, Singapore and Australia, though few in the Middle East have made their intentions clear.

IATA, which represents 290 global airlines, has been consulting with African and Middle Eastern governments, regulators and stakeholders on how to revive air travel as some countries start to slowly ease lockdowns.