[Commentary] On October 18, under the Tianfu overpass in Chengdu, Sichuan, Ian was recording the city scenery with a camera in his hand.
In addition to being a photographer, he is also a British captain of Sichuan Airlines.
[Explanation] In 2018, Ian joined Sichuan Airlines.
Prior to this, Ian had accumulated nearly 20 years of flying experience in airlines in Europe, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, and he has flown all over the world.
After working in Chengdu, Ian also obtained a Chinese driver's license. After flying, he would drive the car to taste Sichuan cuisine, experience Sichuan opera and film the city, trying to integrate into this "fireworks" city.
[Concurrent] British captain Ian of Sichuan Airlines
Since I came to Chengdu, when the weather was good, I took my camera and walked down the streets of Chengdu to see what I could find.
My favorite photography is documentary photography. It records the way in life, finds some interesting people, interesting faces, interesting places, and sometimes shoots people playing mahjong by the river. This is a great perspective to observe the city.
[Explanation] Under the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the global aviation industry has suffered heavy losses and slow recovery.
Ian said frankly that even a veteran pilot who has been flying for more than ten years cannot escape the "destiny" of being laid off.
[Concurrent] British captain Ian of Sichuan Airlines
The aviation industry around the world has been hit by the epidemic, and there has never been such a (serious) situation before, even in the past economic depressions and wars.
Most airlines in the world are in trouble, even some large companies such as British Airways and American Airlines.
Many companies have laid off employees and a lot of them. Many of my friends have lost their jobs.
My main hope is that the epidemic will end soon and the vaccine will be successfully developed as soon as possible.
If these can be achieved soon, the aviation industry will also recover.
[Explanation] At the beginning of the outbreak, Ian, who mainly flew on international routes, took a long vacation at home due to the suspension of some international routes.
With China's effective control of the epidemic, the number of domestic flights has bucked the trend and the recovery momentum has been rapid.
During the Mid-Autumn National Day holiday not long ago, China's civil aviation carried a total of 13.26 million passengers, and the average daily passenger traffic returned to 91.07% of the 2019 National Day holiday.
In this context, Ian, who is now mainly flying domestic short-haul routes, is busy again.
[Concurrent] British captain Ian of Sichuan Airlines
Before the epidemic, I flew international routes, and most of my routes were to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
After the epidemic, international routes have completely stalled.
Now I mainly fly to Jinan, Hangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. More and more Chinese will travel (in the country), and I will take them there.
The aviation industry around the world has been severely hit by the epidemic. For most airlines, the epidemic is devastating.
Fortunately, China is a large country. Aviation does not rely solely on international routes. Because of the large population of China, Chinese airlines survive.
The market here is very large, considering the size of the country and population.
Therefore, if you are a Chinese airline pilot, you will have a safe career.
Chen Xuanbin reports from Chengdu, Sichuan
Editor in charge: [Li Ji]