Europe’s low-cost airlines could have the edge in a post-Covid world

European low-cost airlines have clear advantages over larger flag carriers in a post-pandemic world, analysts said, despite the massive support packages deployed from governments around the world. It’s been a bruising time for airlines as the coronavirus pandemic brought travel to a halt. But now, low-cost carriers seem to be showing signs of recovery compared with national carriers, which can often be subsidized or given preferential treatment. “You are seeing legacy carriers unable to move so quickly compared with the lost-cost carriers out of the pandemic,” Paul Charles, CEO of the luxury travel consultancy firm The PC Agency said Monday. The IATA said earlier this month that both international and domestic flights surged in July compared to June, but demand was still “far below pre-pandemic levels.” In Europe alone, passenger traffic was still down 56.5% from July 2019. However, easyJet, a British low-cost carrier, said it expects to fly up to 60% of its 2019 levels in the three months between July and September. In comparison, IAG said it only expects to fly around 45% of its 2019 capacity over the same period. Lufthansa, another flag carrier, predicts it will fly around 40% of its 2019 levels in the whole of 2021. Budget airline Ryanair, meanwhile, said its fiscal full-year traffic to March could reach between 90 and 100m passengers — which would represent between 60% and 67% of the 148.6m passengers it flew in the full year to March 2<br/>