China’s zero COVID approach so far has held back the recovery of air travel in the Asia Pacific region compared to other parts of the world. The region is expected to reach 44% of 2019 passenger traffic by the year-end. In contrast, other major regions should hit 80-90% of 2019 levels.
“The announcement by the Chinese government, including the removal of quarantine for arriving international travelers and lifting of flight restrictions, is a positive step forward and a welcome development.
What is needed next is to remove the need for pre-departure COVID-19 testing. It is also crucial for the entire aviation value chain in China to be well prepared and adequately resourced to handle the expected surge of air travelers, so as to avoid the travel disruptions and problems seen elsewhere in the world when borders reopened.
China’s zero COVID approach so far has held back the recovery of air travel in the Asia Pacific region compared to other parts of the world. The region is expected to reach 44% of 2019 passenger traffic by the year-end. In contrast, other major regions should hit 80-90% of 2019 levels.
In our industry outlook released in early December, we are anticipating 2023 passenger traffic in the Asia Pacific region to reach 70% of 2019 levels. The outlook had assumed a progressive easing of restrictions in China over the second half of 2023. China’s reopening of her borders in January will have a positive effect on the pace of recovery of the Asia Pacific region.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.