Nelson Bocanegra, Carlos Vargas

BOGOTA, (Reuters) – The biggest obstacle for Latin American airlines in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic is establishing standardized travel rules. This could be a problem for their recovery, according to industry leaders on Sunday.

At a Bogota, Colombia conference, directors of the aviation industry said that passengers are subject to constant delays and restriction when they travel to different countries because of differing entry requirements. These were established in order to stop the spread of coronavirus strains.

Jose Ricardo Botelho (Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association)’s chief executive stated, “Standardization” is essential to increase confidence and allow people to return to flying.

Pedro Heilbron, chief executive officer of Copa Airlines said that the lack of agreement among different countries with frequent changes to airline travel rules leads to uncertainty for both passengers and airlines.

In his opening remarks to the ALTA annual conference, he stated that “when you transport passengers, there are many requirements. It’s nearly impossible for at least some passengers not have the correct paperwork.”

Heilbron stated that certain countries may even punish airlines for non-compliance with rules. However, he did not identify which ones.

Nearly a year and half worth of restriction on travel has left airlines and airports all over the world in severe financial distress. It is now necessary to open travel more fully so the industry can rebound and create millions of new jobs.

“Generally speaking there are quite few agreements and relative standardization,” stated Lucas Rodriguez of Colombia’s civil aviation authority. He also heads the air transport office.

Airline balance sheets were impacted due to the constant need for new travel services.

International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is the major trade association in the sector, revised this month its forecast for net losses by airlines this year from $47.7 billion to $51.8 billion.

IATA predicts that airlines will lose $11.6 billion of revenue in 2022.