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.
This is a year earlier than its previous forecast. 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.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Willie Walsh told Reuters that overall passenger traffic was picking up faster than expected despite the war in Ukraine and continued restrictions in major aviation market China. "We're seeing very strong bookings.
Certainly all the airline CEOs that I'm talking to are seeing not just good demand for year-end travel but they continue to see demand as they looked through the year," he said at a conference in Riyadh.