‘Aviation sector’ is on road to fast recovery

KUWAIT CITY, May 10: Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said Monday, that passenger traffic is recovering faster than expected, and that on average the sector can now see passenger numbers return to levels before the Corona pandemic in 2023, a year earlier than previously expected, reports Al-Rai daily.

The demand increased with the easing of restrictions related to “Covid-19” around the world, which led to a jump in the number of flights, after governments had closed their borders over the past two years, reports a local Arabic daily quoting Reuters.

Walsh said the near-term outlook remains positive, even as the aviation sector faces new problems such as high oil prices, inflation and a shortage of manpower.

“We are seeing very strong bookings,” he said during a conference in Riyadh. All the airline CEOs I speak with see not only improved travel demand in the near term but throughout the year as well.”

“I think the recovery will gain momentum in the rest of this year and into 2023,” he added.