1.1 Introduction
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infection which is as a result of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection. For example, the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) were known in 2002 and 2012 in that order was as a result of viruses analogous to SARS-CoV-2. Nevertheless, SARS-CoV-2 has a higher range more the earlier information related to viruses and as a result the obscurity in the cure and management of COVID-19 (Zhong, B.L, Li,H.M, Zhang, Q.Qet al., 2020).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
In world history, about 90% of the world’s citizens are restricted from travelling, either to return home or to destinations of choice either for business trip or tourisms. Without a doubt, the foremost affected in travel & tourism is that the aviation industry. An estimated 25 million aviation jobs and 100 million travel and tourism jobs across the world are in danger. That is not all; the growth recorded in the industry in the last seven years would potentially be lost across the world as a result of COVID-19 (IATA, 2020).
Sub-Saharan Africa reported its first case of Covid-19 infection in Nigeria on February 27, 2020, through an Italian man who came to Nigeria from Milan. According to the African Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (African CDC), 14,524 Covid-19 cases were reported in 52 of the 54 countries in Africa, with 788 deaths and 2570 recoveries, as of April 13, 2020 (ACDC, 2020). Even though over four million cases of this pandemic infection have been confirmed world-wide as at mid-May 2020, reported infections in Africa remain comparatively low. Infection rate figures appear to be evolving differently in Africa, and recorded Covid-19 fatalities remain considerably lower than elsewhere, leading some to suggest that the continent may yet be spared from the worst (Pilling 2020).
Travelling by has air remained one of the most vital transportation innovations of the twentieth century and it has continued to evolve over the years. It enabled the movement of passengers and cargoes in the shortest time and also promoted the demand for both short and long-haul trips. In fact, every part of the world could be accessed by means of airplanes within a 24-hour time frame and thereby promoting globalization. Air transportation has over the decades managed to gain a remarkable market share of the transportation sector in the tourism industry. With the increased number of people travelling every day by airplanes for different purposes, air transportation would continue to take a central stage in the tourism industry. It has become a very significant sector of tourism today. It is believed that air transportation has contributed in no small measure in making the world a global village, in other words, it has been a major player in the globalization process.
Air transportation is principally the use of airplanes to convey passengers and cargoes from one point to another and it is a fast evolving sector. Passengers more often than not are predominantly tourists. The tourism industry is interactive and dynamic in nature and air transport has remained a major player within the industry. Travelling by air has been made easier and more affordable owing to the emergence of budget airlines (Low Cost Carriers) competing with the legacy airlines (Full Service Airlines) and this practically altered the air travel market. Air transportation is susceptible to technological advancements and this over the years has continually changed the face of air travel in different dimensions. These changes cut across both technical (hardware, engineering and safety) and service delivery (software – customer service) fronts. Besides, information technology is believed to be the future of air transportation and tourism in general.
However, air transportation is a highly technology driven sector with its challenges and these are factors that affect its operations within the tourism industry. The tourism market is a very vast market and the demand for tourism services has increased tremendously, especially with air transportation in focus. There are factors that affect air transport and they include, but are not limited to; air safety standards, terrorism, cost of operation, competition, natural disaster, economic recession, epidemics and pandemics, and all this is evident in today's air transportation management.
Therefore, in Port Harcourt International Airport where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Assessment of Coronal Virus Pandemic Impact in Aviation Industry Nigeria Air Transport.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
The major task of air transportation is the movement of people from place to place by air which was disrupted by the COVID-19. The drastic escalation of coronavirus did not only affect transport, it compounded the pre-existing aviation education inequalities in institutions, with vulnerable and disadvantaged students at the receiving end. When all this losses are added up to economic cost for loss of productive man-hour, it becomes clear that the situation really need urgent attention. However, various research studies have been descriptive showing the importance of having a better transportation infrastructure in place so as to increase the sector contribution to economic growth and development.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to assess the Coronal Virus Pandemic Impact in Aviation Industry Nigeria Air Transport using Port Harcourt International Airport as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the process involved studying how Covid-19 affected air transport business.
- To examine the importance of air transport in a region and identify main visible impacts of air transport in Port Harcourt International Airport.
- To identify the challenges passengers faced during Covid-19 in Port Harcourt International Airport.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Does Air travel and tourism increase Nigeria Economy throughputs?
- Are there precautionary measures taken at Port Harcourt International Airport before Air travel?
- How does Covid-19 affect air transport business in Port Harcourt International Airport?
- What is the importance of air transport in the study area?
- What are the challenges passengers faced during Covid-19 in Port Harcourt International Airport?
- To what extent does Air Travel and Tourism enhance Nigeria Economy?
- What are the Impact of Air Travel and Tourism to Nigeria Economy?
