The International Air Travel Association has revealed that airlines are beginning to make a very rapid recovery from such unpleasant events as Icelandic ash clouds and the global financial crisis. The recovery has been taking place faster than expected.
It was no secret whatsoever that the world’s airline companies had been struggling in the wake of a worrying economic climate. People had reverted, if possible, to cheaper methods of transport and businesses started to cut down on the number of trips their employees were making, whilst almost completely canceling business class tickets. Similarly, people started to spend holidays in their own countries to avoid having to pay for flights.
According the IATA, the industry is currently beginning to make a very strong recovery. International passenger demand is up by 11.9% and scheduled freight traffic by 26.5%. Despite the fact that there are sharp regional differences in the improvements, the future looks promising.
The apparent massive uplift in Africa came about mostly due to the World Cup in June and July, whereby the amount of flights grew by 21.3%. Latin America has enjoyed a resurgence of 15%, whereas the USA and Canada has welcomed 11% more flights in June compared to last year. Middle Eastern carriers hold the record with an increase of 18%. It seems that a more than full recovery is being made in the skies, nowadays without volcanic ash, of course. However, we should not forget that one of the reasons for the upsurge in figures is the low starting point due to the original crisis and volcanic activity in Iceland.