The boost in Aviation has been seen in passenger numbers, building on the improvements seen in 2022. Brisbane Airport has announced that it has recovered to its pre-pandemic level; it is back to 63 % of pre-COVID numbers, while domestic travel is at 90 per cent. The airport would spend almost $1 Billion on commercial developments. Emerald Airlines celebrated this great news last month by flying one-millionth passengers in less than 12 months.
The year 2022 ended on a high note with passenger returns; AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd (AAAGL), Capital A Bhd, and Cambodia’s Sivilai Asia’s aviation arm have invested $25 million to launch a new low-cost airline due to the high demand for travellers. American Airlines reported a profit of 127 million US dollars at the end of the year 2022.
Boost in Aviation in January 2023
Airlines Demand
Azul Brazilian airlines saw traffic increase by 21.3% in January 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. The airline recorded a capacity increase of 23.5% and a load factor of 82.3% for the first month of 2023.
Air Baltic carried 67% more passengers in January compared to the same period last year; the airline, which is operating in 70 destinations across Europe, and the Middle East, is still recovering from the pandemic. Air Baltic flew 246,800 passengers last month to 147,400 passengers in January 2022.
The CEO and President of Air Baltic, Martin Gauss, said in a statement,
“The first month of the year has started very confidently, clearly marking our ongoing growth path. The demand is stable and with an upward trend, which means that in 2023 we will continue to expand – in terms of fleets size, passengers carried, flights performed, destinations served, and employees recruited.”
KLM Group will increase its destination frequency in Greater China. Even though the country has lifted restrictions for international travellers, those coming from China had to provide a negative Covid-19 test at the beginning of the year. KLM will operate from Amsterdam to Hong Kong three times a week starting in March. The group will also introduce six non-stop flights to Beijing and Shanghai in May.
Airports Demand
With a substantial increase in passenger demand for the airlines, the same has been reported for the airports. According to the Centre For Aviation (CAPA), Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) placed first at 85.8 million passenger traffic, with Dubai International Airport (DXB) ranking first for global capacity. Tokyo Haneda (HND), Japan, with the lift of restrictions since last December, occupied third place. Also, London Heathrow (LHR), Instanbul Aiport (IST), and Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) are part of the list of busiest airports.
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) receives 4,679,398 passengers, and Dubai International Airport (DXB) has 4,624,009 passengers. Zagreb Franjo-Tuđman International Airport (ZAG) also saw a great start year by receiving 221,747 passengers, which represents an increase of 58,2% from last year and 9.2% on the pre-pandemic.
It’s exciting news for air travel to see these good numbers. There’s a great forecast for this summer; routes will resume, and additional destinations and flight frequency will increase. Can you hope to be back entirely to the pre-pandemic level? Whether it’s Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) launching a baggage tracking app for passengers to avoid baggage loss or London Heathrow Airport’s (LHR) biometric self-service check-in, all these innovative services represent a commitment to improving passenger satisfaction.
Do you think air travel is recovering well from pandemic pressures? What do you think about this recent boost in aviation? Please let us know in the comments.
