Air Journey Nonetheless in Disaster: 23 % of Pre-pandemic Numbers
Last year was a tough one for the tourism industry around the world. Of course, this also applies to the aviation industry, which has had to reduce its operations significantly, which has led to enormous losses in the industry.
What can air travel expect in the coming months? Analysis of ForwardKeys’ flight booking data shows that the outlook is still very bleak, at least in most regions.
According to data, air traffic will hit 23% of its pre-pandemic numbers in the summer months.
In terms of regions, only the Caribbean stands out, where the booking volume has reached 81% of the 2019 figures. Otherwise, the numbers in Africa and the Middle East (31%), Europe (22%) and especially in the Asia-Pacific region (7%) are still very modest.
In general, the problem is still based on government travel restrictions rather than Covid-19 itself.
Surprising amounts in the Caribbean and some parts of Africa
The only region that really stands out is the Caribbean. The main reason for this is the desire of American citizens to travel to Mexico, Costa Rico, or Puerto Rico.
Mexico, for example, achieved 86% of its air travel in 2019. The Dominican Republic (83%) as well as the Bahamas (81%) and Costa Rica (80%) are also developing well.
Meanwhile, Puerto Rico performed even better than two years ago with a volume of 140%. This is also due to the fact that fully vaccinated travelers can visit the country without restrictions.
A similar trend can also be observed in some African countries, especially in the west of the continent. Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria have all hit numbers that are more than 70% of the 2019 level. However, this is reportedly mainly due to increased visits between friends and relatives.
Difficult summer for Europe and the Asia-Pacific region
The old continent, on the other hand, cannot boast similar numbers to the countries mentioned above. As mentioned earlier, continental Europe accounts for 22% of its 2019 volume.
Some countries are above average, with Albania standing out with 73%. Other “above average” are Greece with 49%, Serbia with 38% or Malta with 35%.
Most of the time, however European countries are below average. Some of the countries with volumes below 20% of the 2019 figures are, for example, Germany, Great Britain, France, but also Italy, which is one of the most popular travel destinations worldwide.
The Asia-Pacific region is going through an even tougher situation and it will likely take much longer for the industry here to recover.
The worrying numbers in the region are largely attributed to the fact that most of the countries in the region are essentially closed to foreigners. This is the case in China, Japan or Australia, for example.
