Aviation event organisers Routes have bowed to the inevitable and cancelled events in Thailand and Italy.

After careful consideration Routes Asia, which was due to take place in October, and World Routes, set for Milan in November, have both been shelved.

Routes said it understood there was a real desire from the route development community to meet and work together to navigate the unprecedented challenge that Covid-19 presents.

Following discussions with Airports of Thailand and SEA Milan Airports, respectively, both events have been rescheduled for next year.

Routes Asia will now take place on June 2nd-4th, while World Routes on September 5th-7th, 2021.

Armando Brunini, chief executive, SEA Milan Airports, said: “It is with regret that we have had to support the Informa markets decision to postpone to next year the World Routes 2020 and look forward to giving the route development community the most unforgettable experience in Milano next year.”

Aviation is a vital component of the global economy, supporting 28.8 million jobs and accounting for $1.8 trillion of global GDP in 2019 alone.

It will be critical in enabling future economic recovery from the short and long-term effects of Covid-19.

Airports of Thailand said in a statement: “We have been in regular communication with the Routes team, our partners and stakeholders, throughout this period.

“This has been a difficult decision to make but we feel that it is important that the entire Asia-Pacific region are able to engage in conversations that will support the recovery and are hopeful that hosting Routes Asia in Chiang Mai in June will facilitate this.”

Routes forums will play a pivotal role in supporting airlines, airports and aviation stakeholders, as they seek to rebuild the world’s air services.

Steven Small, director, Routes, which is an Informa Markets business, stated: “The innovation, resilience and cooperation demonstrated by the route development community throughout this unprecedented period will continue to be paramount in its road to recovery.

“We are committed to working with all our industry partners to facilitate conversations that will make a meaningful difference in restoring and reshaping the world’s air services in the post pandemic era.”