London - At the end of a traumatic month for holiday businesses, a leading airline boss has urged the travelling public to refuse to let themselves be “dictated to” by terrorists - as, if they do, that could encourage them.
Andrew Swaffield, chief executive of Monarch, called for resolve from holidaymakers, the travel industry and government.
In an exclusive interview, he told The Independent on Sunday: “We must make sure life goes on and that IS [Islamic State] isn't sending us back 50 years. Those of us who enjoy travelling must speak out and say there is always going to be an element of risk in travel. We need to find a way to operate in a world that is less safe.
“Otherwise you are saying to terrorists: 'You can wipe out a market for a very low investment', and they will try it elsewhere.”
Four weeks ago, accident investigators converged on the Sinai Desert to try learn what led to the downing of a Russian charter plane flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St Petersburg. The 224 passengers and crew were killed by a bomb; the Foreign Office believes it was planted at the Egyptian resort's airport, and has banned UK airlines from flying there until security standards improve.
Two weeks ago, Paris was coming to terms with the massacre of 130 people at the hands of an Islamist terror cell. When the perpetrators were traced to Brussels, the threat level in the Belgian capital was raised to its highest ever, with the Metro, schools and tourist attractions closed as part of the city-wide lockdown.
With memories still fresh of the two massacres of tourists in Tunisia in March and June, which killed a total of 60 people, many concerned holidaymakers with forward bookings to a wide range of destinations have contacted the travel desk of this newspaper. “I didn't sign up for a city where I'm now told there's imminent danger of a terrorist attack - how can I get my money back?” was one of the typical queries.
The travel industry is traditionally reluctant to discuss the impact of tragic events on business, but forward bookings are believed to be running at around 20 percent below expected levels.
Thomas Cook's chief executive, Peter Fankhauser, said the events of 2015 had caused “an unprecedented level of disruption”. Both British Airways and easyJet have cancelled all flights to Sharm el-Sheikh until the New Year, but Monarch, Thomas Cook and Thomson hope to be able to fly there before Christmas. “The longer you leave a market closed, the more difficult it is to reopen it,” Mr Swaffield said.
“This is clearly a threat that is going to be with us for the long term. I lived in Belfast for five years in the early 1990s. The people in Northern Ireland became very adept at living through difficult situations and not allowing their lives to be dictated to. We have to adapt to a new world.”
The Independent on Sunday