Capital A calls on Asian governments to further ease travel restrictions

KUALA LUMPUR: Capital A Bhd, the holding company for the AirAsia Aviation Group, has called on governments across Asia to further ease travel restrictions in order to revive the global economy.

In a statement, Capital A president (commercial) Colin Currie said the revival of the tourism sector is pivotal to support the livelihood of the people in ASEAN as it accounts for 13 per cent of the regional grouping's aggregate gross domestic product and six per cent of total employment.

"We thank the governments in ASEAN which are finally reopening borders. This is a great first step to revive economic growth.

"With a high percentage of people in ASEAN fully vaccinated, we believe that it is time to review the onerous deterrents still stifling air travel, including the numerous testing requirements both pre-departure and on arrival, additional paperwork and costly COVID-19 travel insurance," he said.

Meanwhile, AirAsia Aviation group chief executive officer Bo Lingam said the COVID-19 testing requirements, including the number and type of tests involved, should constantly be reviewed to ensure that they remain relevant, without burdening travellers or compromising public health.

"The global recovery in air travel is very much underway. We are happy to note that many countries are already making the journey easier and more tourist-friendly.

"Countries that persist in trying to lock out the disease instead of managing it, as we do for other diseases, face the risk of missing out on significant economic benefits," he said.

Bo noted that AirAsia continues to play its part in the revival by looking at ways to make air travel as affordable and hassle-free as possible for its guests, including fully contactless procedures at the airports and in the air.

"We will continue to work closely with respective governments, regulators and industry partners across Asia and the Pacific and thank them for their support as we work together to reduce the friction of air travel in order to stimulate demand and help revive the economy as a whole," he added.

-- BERNAMA