“Rusty” pilots and angry passengers-insurance companies in the aviation industry are preparing for new risks after the corona crisis is over. Axel von Frowein (Axel von Frowein), who is in charge of aviation operations at the Allianz Industrial Insurance Division AGCS, reported that when flight operations started slowly at the beginning of the year, dozens of pilots reported errors-such as on landing. Time-because of their lack of flight practice.
In the United States alone, airlines have reported 3,000 rioting passengers who defended their opposition to the requirement to wear masks—150 in normal years. They often complain about discrimination afterwards. Till Kürschner, head of claims for Central and Eastern Europe in the AGCS Aviation Division, said: “This type of incident occurs less frequently in Europe, but it did happen.”
With the period Coronavirus pandemic As Kürschner said, when flight operations were interrupted, the number of AGCS claims dropped by a third because fewer passengers fell on the way to the plane, or their suitcases were lost. But this is only a temporary effect. “We expect that once the number of passengers rises again, claims settlement activities will return to normal levels.” Some airlines hope to fly again with 70% capacity before the end of the year.
But Allianz managers say that the industry has changed. In the medium term, she faces a shortage of pilots, which means that many aircraft face the threat of being controlled by inexperienced pilots. The pandemic has also accelerated the replacement of old machines with new and smaller machines, and maintenance costs will be higher due to the use of new materials. According to AGCS data, 30% of reported insurance claims from 2016 to 2020 were caused by collisions and crashes, but accounted for more than half of the approximately 14.5 billion euros in losses. Incorrect handling and maintenance accounted for 13% and 24% of the damage, respectively.
Therefore, AGCS bid farewell to part of the business in the reorganization of the division, which has been fighting losses for many years, von Frowein said, such as the insurance business of helicopter and aircraft suppliers. “In 2020, we had the most difficult negotiations, in the greatest business crisis aviation Mandatory price increases. “After several years of losses, the composite ratio is once again below 100.” According to the market segment, we are on the right track, but in some cases, we did not achieve the goals we wanted,” AGCS manager.
