2023-07-06 13:41:04
Airlines saw their global activity approach pre-health crisis levels in May, at 96.1% of attendance in the same month of 2019, their main association announced on Thursday.
This recovery was driven by domestic routes. Calculated in revenue passenger-kilometres, one of the benchmarks for the sector, the activity of these rotations has reached a global average of 105.3% of the level of four years ago, according to the International Air Transport Association. (Iata).
May was the second month in a row where ridership on these routes was higher than before the pandemic. Having restarted later, international lines in May returned to 90.8% of levels four years ago, according to Iata.
Fill rate close to 82%
The association, which announced at the beginning of June that it was planning 4.35 billion individual air journeys this year, close to the record of 4.54 billion in 2019, also welcomed an aircraft occupancy rate in May of 81, 8%, back to its pre-Covid level.
Having lost almost two-thirds of its passengers in 2020, the airline industry has since rebounded: Iata said it expects its members to make $9.8 billion in global profit this year, following cumulative losses of 183 billion in 2020-2022.
“People need to fly, and love it,” said Iata Chief Executive Willie Walsh, quoted in a statement: “Strong travel demand is one of the elements supporting the return to profitability airlines”.
The very good results of the airports
The 2022 profit, however, represents only $ 2.25 per passenger, recalled Mr. Walsh, judging this margin “not sustainable in the long term” and taking the opportunity to scratch the airports. He indeed estimated that “the aviation value chain” remained “unbalanced”, citing in support the cumulative profits of 6.4 billion euros made in 2022 by European airports, according to their association ACI Europe. .
Meanwhile, European airlines made $4.1 billion in profits, according to Iata estimates.
“Does the economic regulation of airports serve the public interest when monopolies (airports) can apparently achieve much better results than the competitive sector (airlines)”? wondered Willie Walsh, inviting governments to “at least take a look at the file”.
According to ACI Europe, the crisis has resulted in 20 billion euros in cumulative losses for airports on the Old Continent in 2020-2021, and 50 billion in shortfalls. The debt of these facilities has ballooned by 47 billion in two years.
Less domestic results in France
In France, air traffic in May, expressed in number of passengers, returned to 99.6% of the monthly level before the pandemic, the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) indicated at the end of June.
Contrary to the global trend noted by Iata, French domestic traffic remained lower than before the crisis (91%), while international connections reached 101.6% from four years ago, boosted in particular by flights to and from Africa (150.3%).
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