Airline companies hard hit by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) outbreak have collectively urged for other stakeholders in the industry to share their losses and for governments to bear part of their burden.

In a press statement yesterday, the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines, which represents 17 international airline companies in the region, said other service providers such as airports and air traffic management services should be lowering their charges in view of the downturn in demand.

AAPA director-general Richard Stirland said it is not o­nly "desirable but vital" to the survival of the air transport industry for the financial consequences of the slump to be spread out since airlines are o­nly o­ne element in the infrastructure providing global air transportation.

"Airports and air traffic management services can and must reduce their charges, rents and other burdens which they impose o­n the airlines regardless of the fluctuations of the market," he said.

"In addition, governments should look again at state provision of war risk insurance and at security charges for both passengers and cargo being paid for out of taxation, rather than by imposition o­n the airlines."

Stirland's appeal came in the light of mass cancellations of flights across Asia as the Sars epidemic showed no signs of waning.

According to him, members of the AAPA, which includes prominent carriers such as Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines, have had to cut approximately 650 flights a week this month.

Some airlines have also slashed their flight frequencies by up to 50 percent.

Hygiene measures

To date, Stirland said AAPA members have adopted all the measures recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to prevent the spread of Sars o­n board.

He also stressed that there has been no confirmed cases of anyone contracting the viral disease while travelling o­n an aircraft.

In addition to the measures earlier announced by the Health Ministry such as dissemination of Sars information leaflets to passengers, Stirland said airline companies have stepped up o­n hygiene measures o­n board of planes.

For instance, Stirland said airline companies have increased fresh air circulation in flights, increased disinfection and sterilisation of aircrafts and ensured that air-conditioning units are cleaned frequently.

Other measures are the disposal of towels and leftover food, and the sterilisation of catering utensils after use.

"(Airlines have been) providing masks o­n certain routes for passengers and crew. o­n some routes, catering gloves are provided for crew to be used during the serving of food and beverages," he said.

AAPA's statements in response to the Sars health crisis came after the government stepped up o­n measures to curtail the arrival of visitors from affected areas.

Since last Wednesday, the Malaysian embassy in Beijing announced it had stopped issuing tourist visas for travellers from China and Hong Kong, with the exception of members of the government and those o­n business trips. All prospective visitors are also required to bring along a health certificate showing a clean bill of health.

Not barred

The ban has since been lifted for travellers from Hong Kong after strong protests from the city's administrators. However, visitors from Taiwan are now included into the list of barred travellers as local transmission of Sars cases has also been recorded in the republic.

Meanwhile, Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung was quoted in newspapers yesterday as saying that the government will not be forbidding Malaysians from travelling to Sars-affected areas although travel advisories discouraging travel are maintained.

Sars-affected areas have been identified as destinations where local transmission of the illness has been recorded, namely China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan and Toronto.

However, it has since been learnt that similar modes of transmission have also been traced in the United States and the United Kingdom. No travel advisory has been issued for these two locations.