Travel

A promising rebound

Travel has picked up during the summer months, indicating broader industry recovery, fi nds Zainab Mansoor

INTERNATIONAL TRAFFIC ROSE TO 150.6%

With schools shut for the summer vacations and the pandemic fairly under control, travel picked up as people jetted off to destinations worldwide. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that international tra c in July this year rose 150.6 per cent compared to July 2021, suggesting that recovery in air travel continues to be fi rm. On the other hand, domestic tra c for July was up 4.1 per cent compared to a year-ago period.

“July’s performance continued to be strong, with some markets approaching pre-Covid levels. And that is even with capacity constraints in parts of the world that were unprepared for the speed at which people returned to travel. There is still more ground to recover, but this is an excellent sign as we head into the traditionally slower autumn and winter quarters in the Northern Hemisphere,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.

Analysing regionally, Middle Eastern airlines’ tra c recorded a 193.1 per cent spike in July compared to July 2021. Capacity rose 84.1 per cent while load factor increased 30.5 percentage points to reach 82 per cent.

“Aviation continues to recover as people take advantage of their restored freedom to travel. The pandemic showed that aviation is not a luxury but a necessity in our globalised and interconnected world. Aviation is committed to continuing to meet the demands of people and commerce and to do it sustainably,” said Walsh.

LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

In response to demand, local airlines bolstered their operations to facilitate travel. Dubai-based Emirates carried more than 10 million passengers to 130 destinations on nearly 35,000 fl ights this summer. The airline said - at the end of August – that it was operating at 74 per cent of its pre-pandemic network/capacity and intends to scale it to 80 per cent by year-end. Meanwhile, Dubai beckoned the world itself, welcoming 8.1 million international visitors in the fi rst seven months of 2022.

In the neighbouring emirate, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways said in June that it expected to welcome more than 2.7 million passengers this summer. Air Arabia Abu Dhabi also scored strong points, having announced last month that it carried one million passengers on over 8,000 fl ights since launching operations in July 2020.

With airlines ramping up operations and passengers keen to travel, the aviation sector seems well-placed to build on the momentum.

JULY 2021 JULY 2022

“AVIATION CONTINUES TO RECOVER AS PEOPLE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEIR RESTORED FREEDOM TO TRAVEL. THE PANDEMIC SHOWED THAT AVIATION IS NOT A LUXURY BUT A NECESSITY IN OUR GLOBALISED AND INTERCONNECTED WORLD. AVIATION IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF PEOPLE AND COMMERCE AND TO DO IT SUSTAINABLY”