:format(jpeg):focal(321x42:331x32)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gfrmedia/AMYNI6M7QRECNP6CKMJ6RVQYRY.jpg "The slow recovery of air transportation after the pandemic")
Geneva – Demand for air transport continues to see a slow recovery after years of the pandemic, and in July the figure was equivalent to 95.6% of 2019, the last year before the health crisis, the statistics are updated monthly by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The global airline association also noted that demand in July rose 26.2% compared to the same month in 2022.
Passenger traffic on domestic routes has not only recovered, but is now 8.3% higher than before the pandemic, while international flights are still only 88.7% compared to before the health crisis.
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“Advance ticket sales also show that tourist confidence is at a high level, and there are many reasons to be optimistic about recovery,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said in a statement.
The largest year-on-year increase in July was recorded in Asia Pacific, with air traffic growth of 67.1%, partly due to the maintenance of some travel restrictions last year in countries such as China. In Europe, Latin America and North America, growth was smaller but still in double digits (11.7%, 15.5% and 13.2% respectively).
“The sector is generally ready to return to pre-pandemic operational levels, but unfortunately the same cannot be said for infrastructure managers,” Walsh said of authorities, citing recent airport problems in the UK.
He also regretted plans to reduce activity in this sector in countries such as Mexico or the Netherlands “which will destroy jobs and damage local economies.”
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