IT’s a patchy flight path to recovery, with Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean expected to return to 2019 levels only by 2025, according to IATA forecasts.
Speaking at the “Asia Arising” event, organised by WiT and Travel Weekly Asia, Vinoop Goel, Asia Pacific regional director of Airports & External Relations for IATA, shared this slide which shows North America and Central America leading recovery by 2023, followed by Europe and South America in 2024.
• And if you are wondering what’s been the impact on flights and cargo from 2019 to this year, here’s an interesting chart.
Goel said that complexity and confusion continue to threaten the recovery, saying, “Passengers and airlines must navigate at least 10 ways of defining the testing window prior to travel, six definitions for when a vaccine becomes effective, 24 versions of country-risk assessments and only half of economies that allow exceptions for vaccinated travellers recognise the WHO Emergency Use List of Vaccines.”
Having said that, he said that RPK recovery has restarted following a pause in January and air cargo remained robust, up 12 percent versus 2019.
• International travel is also gradually returning, with Asia Pacific lagging.
• Ticket sales point to resilient international air travel – however domestic is deteriorating because of China and Russia
Air passenger numbers are expected to recover in 2024, he said, with the caveat – “does not factor in the impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict”.
He called for a simpler, more predictable approach to risk and urged:
- Accelerate easing of travel restrictions
- Remove travel bans
- Allow vaccinated passengers to travel without additional measures
- Use pre-departure antigen tests for non-vaccinated passengers
- Avoid on-arrival testing
- Review measures regularly and apply sunset clauses (including for testing and masks)
- Enhance preparedness for future health events
* Watch Vinoop Goel’s presentation here.
