Aviation industry could bounce back in 2022 by speeding up hiring: Emirates’ Al Redha

Emirates Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha believes the aviation sector could bounce back in 2022 itself if airlines and airports ramp up hiring to deal with the severe staff shortages. Industry body IATA expects global airlines to return to pre-COVID levels in 2023. “The industry could come back in 2022, but the only thing holding us back is our ability to source the required frontline staff, whether it’s the airline, ground handling or airport,” said Al Redha during the Arabian Travel Market. “Some countries have still not opened up 100%,” he said. China’s financial capital Shanghai has seen strict lockdowns being imposed after a recent spike in cases. Most Gulf-based aviation industry executives have ruled out the possibility of travel restrictions returning on a global scale. Emirates’ load factor – an industry metric that measures an airline’s carrying capacity – has risen above 75% across its network with some routes almost at 100 seat factors. The Emirates executive said that the airline has been practicing hedging, without disclosing any further details. Some airlines, including Sharjah-based Air Arabia, have oil hedges that can help partially offset the fuel price increase. Airlines also pass on the additional costs to the customers in the form of surcharges. “We have done some kind of adaptation to cope with the fuel prices because we were not expecting to be hit with this level of oil price two months back,” said Al Redha.<br/>