The Director-General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Willie Walsh, explained that "passenger traffic is recovering faster than expected," noting that "on average, the sector can now see the return of passenger numbers to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, that is, a year before than was previously expected.
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 closed their borders over the past two years.
"The near-term outlook remains positive even as the aviation sector faces new problems such as high oil prices, inflation and workforce shortages," Walsh noted.
He noted during a conference in Riyadh that “we are seeing very strong bookings, as all the CEOs of the airlines I speak with see not only an improvement in travel demand in the near term but throughout the year as well,” stressing that “the recovery will gain momentum in the rest of this year until 2023.”
Source (Emirati Gulf Newspaper, Edited)
