U.N. agency urges government support for airlines MONTREAL (Reuters) =97 Governments need to do more to support airlines as=20 they slash jobs and capacity to meet a deepening downturn in air travel=20 amid the U.S.-led war in Iraq, the International Civil Aviation=20 Organization (ICAO) warned Monday. The Montreal-based agency, created in=20 1944 to promote safe and orderly development of civil aviation, said a=20 prolonged war in Iraq would have a heavy impact on airlines, not only=20 through reduced passenger numbers, but also through added costs as=20 airlines re-route around dangerous Middle East airspace. "If this armed=20 conflict takes more time, the negative impact on airlines will be extremely= =20 harsh," Assad Kotaite, president of the U.N.- affiliated agency, told=20 reporters at its headquarters. Officials did not provide estimates of the=20 possible impact the war would have on airlines' bottom lines. On Saturday,= =20 the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the industry group for= =20 world airlines, said losses on international air travel could easily add up= =20 to $10 billion this year as passengers postpone trips. IATA said passenger= =20 travel could drop 15 to 20% during the war, depending on the region. The=20 global airline crisis since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked airliner attacks=20 against the United States has already led to estimated airline losses=20 totaling $30 billion, IATA said. ICAO's Kotaite urged governments to assist= =20 airlines through the current turmoil. "Airlines need much more support from= =20 the governments, and that could be in many ways," he said. One way governments could help would be to freeze fees charged airlines for= =20 the use of airport facilities, ICAO said, but its officials acknowledged=20 that layoffs were likely to deepen regardless of government action as=20 airlines adjust to the slowdown in travel bookings. "It is inevitable some= =20 airlines will have to lay off," said Chris Lyle, deputy director of ICAO's= =20 Air Transport Bureau. Airlines are already scrambling to reduce costs and=20 capacity. Five major U.S. airlines =97 American Airlines, United Airlines,= =20 Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines =97 have=20 announced staff or capacity cuts. Three carriers =97 United, US Airways= Group=20 and Hawaiian Airlines =97 are already in bankruptcy protection. Air Canada,= =20 the largest airline in Canada and world No. 11, announced plans last week=20 to slash 3,600 jobs, or about 9% of its workforce, and to reduce its fleet= =20 to cut costs, saying the effects of the war in Iraq made its cost-cutting=20 drive even more urgent. The airline has not approached the Canadian=20 government for assistance, but Ottawa said late last week it would not rule= =20 out coming to the aid of the struggling carrier. In the meantime, ICAO said temporary routes being used by airlines to avoid= =20 flying over the war zone and other areas of the Middle East are adding to=20 costs for aircraft, crew and fuel. Kotaite said that air traffic in the=20 Middle East region, mostly provided by European airlines, has been reduced= =20 as some flights have been canceled. Those route changes are reflected=20 mainly in the deactivation of the northern part of Saudi Arabia, forcing=20 airlines to make detours that can add about an hour and a half to a flight,= =20 Kotaite said. He said flights from Southeast Asia, for example, were now=20 using routes through Indian, Pakistani and Afghan airspace. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.thehummingbirdonline.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************