PEOPLE matters

Making new connections

Richard Plenty and Terri Morrissey reflect on how the global pandemic has changed the way we connect and communicate with each other.

To what extent did the COVID pandemic fundamentally change the way in which we connect: physically, geographically, socially, and psychologically?

Prior to 2020, if we wished to see distant relatives and friends, attend business meetings and conferences, go on holiday or just indulge our sense of adventure – provided we could afford it – we generally did so in person. It was hard to imagine any other way. Air travel enabled all that and played a key role in connecting people and places.

During the pandemic, lest we forget, we had to find new ways of staying connected. Whilst this had a devastating impact on airports and air travel, technology came to the rescue.

The phenomenal rise of Zoom, TEAMs, WhatsApp, social media and other connecting technologies allowed us to communicate virtually.

For some, this was simply a less favoured option but a necessary one. For others, it helped transform the social and economic fabric of their lives, with new opportunities and flexibilities. Indeed, the debate it sparked about the future of work is still raging and is not over yet.

Many people had a major shift in their thinking about their priorities and what was important for them. Some left the workplace never to return; others adapted to living in a virtual world and wanted to retain that lifestyle; others felt a sense of social and psychological isolation which built a pent-up demand to return to some level of normality when “all this has passed”.

The impact of the huge upheaval catalysed by COVID cannot be underestimated. Apart from the economic consequences, it created a major shift in thinking, behaviour, aspirations, and a new sense of ‘what mattered’ for the future.

Ecologically, many of us became more aware of the importance of sustainability and the need for a radical rethink of global systems, given the role of carbon emissions in the warming of the planet.

Fast forward to today. We live in a world of growing geo-political conflict. At the same time, technology has enabled connectivity in ways unimaginable a few years ago. Chat groups on WhatsApp link friends, family, and colleagues across many parts of the globe. Virtual meetings, conferences and gatherings are more the norm.

Many organisations never returned to the ‘office’ and their employees expect to work at least part of their time from home into the future.

Yet, despite everything, air travel is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, driven initially by travel, leisure and tourism but with business travel now increasingly rebounding as well. Why has this happened?

Perhaps it’s because we humans are social beings and need the social and psychological contact that was denied us during the pandemic.

So, when we talk about connectivity, let us bear this need in mind. What many people missed during the pandemic was physical and psychological connection to family, friends, and community. Virtual connectivity may work in some cases but cannot compensate for the real desire to meet in person and to experience the psychological and social contact that this brings.

And while curiosity about the world can be satisfied in some measure by virtual reality, this is not, yet, in any case, a substitute for the real thing… the sights, sounds and smells of different places … and the understanding, warmth and empathy for other people and cultures that we can gain through travel.

Is this compatible with sustainability? Sustainability is about finding a balance between environmental, social, and economic matters. So, it is vital that we continue to accelerate the transformation of our systems by investing to ensure ‘connecting’ remains the enjoyable experience it should be.

Arrivals and Departures

Industry veteran, John Ackerman, is the new CEO of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). He moves from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), where he served as executive vice president of global strategy and development.

Nicolas Deviller is the new CEO of Airport International Airport (AIG), operator of Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport, succeeding the outgoing Nicolas Claude. Deviller moves from VINCI Airports, where he was CEO of Cambodia Airports.

Long serving Tampa International Airport, CEO, Joe Lopano, has announced that he plans to retire before his contract expires in April 2025. The timing of his departure will be determined by how quickly it takes Hillsborough County Aviation Authority to find his successor.

Mario Diaz has resigned as executive director of Houston Airport System. The city has named current chief operating officer, Jim Szczesniak, as interim director.

Jan Metsovitis has been appointed CEO of Heraklion Airport in Crete, Greece. The hugely experienced Metsovitis joins from Doha’s Hamad International Airport where he most recently worked as senior vice president of operations. He was formerly on the management team of Athens International Airport.

Nils Funke will assume the role of Malmö Airport director on April 1, 2024, succeeding Karin Öhrström.