The head of the world's biggest airline trade body has said that the recovery in passenger traffic was accelerating and that on average, the industry could now return to pre-pandemic figures in 2023.The continued easing of Covid-19 related restrictions by governments around the world is releasing demand pent up over the last two years when countries had shut their borders.
Willie Walsh, a former Aer Lingus CEO, said high oil prices and travel disruptions caused by labour shortages had so far not deterred travellers, even though oil prices had probably caused a 10% rise in fares. But he cautioned that passenger traffic in some individual seasons next year could remain lower than prior to the pandemic, while the Asia-Pacific region continues to lag due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions in major aviation market China