Arab carrier traffic seen not back to pre-crisis levels until at least 2024

Traffic among Arab air carriers is not now expected to return to pre-crisis levels until at least 2024 and could potentially not reach those levels before 2027, fresh analysis from the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO) shows. In its third status report of the impact of the pandemic on the economy, travel and tourism, published on 31 August, the Arabian airline body estimates the best-case scenario for passenger traffic among Arab carriers returning to 2019 levels is in 2024. But it considers a worst-case scenario that traffic for these airlines will not return to the previous highs until 2027. The fresh analysis comes as it now expects the global return in traffic to pre-crisis levels to take a year longer, in 2024, than its previous expectations. After a bright start to the year, Arab carrier traffic was all but wiped out by the pandemic during April. Passenger traffic among these carriers in the first half was down 55% - on capacity cut 51% - compared to the same period in 2019. ”As for the second half of 2020, demand is expected to improve gradually as restrictions are relaxed and passengers regain confidence to travel,” AACO says. It expects traffic to be 57% down among airlines in the region for the full year, though it sees capacity cut only a third compared to 2019.<br/>