According to ALA data, airlines have already booked more than 4.4% in scheduled seats this winter compared to 2019.
The fuel or ticket taxes being debated within the European Union (EU) could “put an end” to a means of transport now accessible to all and “go back to the days when flying was a luxury within everyone’s reach”. This was denounced by Javier Gándara, president of ALA (Airline Association) during the presentation of the sector’s forecasts for this winter.
Airlines have predicted seat availability 4.4% higher than winter 2019 with 114 million seats from November to March. All this after the reactivation of summer demand, with a 92% recovery in passenger numbers compared to the summer of 2019 and a month of October bordering on pre-pandemic figures. This recovery in seats is mainly due to the increase in influx from the Balearic Islands, up 9.3%, but especially the Canary Islands, where the seating schedule this winter is 17.3% higher than in 2019.
In this way, the average occupancy of aircraft continues to grow, and in the accumulated period from January to October it already exceeds 83%, a figure similar to that before the pandemic. For this reason, Gándara is confident that the full recovery of traffic will be achieved in 2023, although this will be determined by the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and inflation. The domestic flight sector remains the best performing sector post-covid, with 95% of passengers recovering so far this year, followed by the intra-European sector, with 85% of passengers. Intercontinental traffic still remains at 79%, but it should be taken into account that there are countries that are still close to closure, such as China.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
