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AAPA director general highlights uncertain outlook from war, high fuel prices and closed borders
April 28th 2022
Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) director general, Subhas Menon, is calling for more cooperation from governments when framing international travel rules to help airlines boost demand. Read More » “While the recent easing of travel restrictions is very much welcomed by the industry, incoherent and uneven border control measures across economies continue to confuse travellers and hinder travel recovery," Menon said. "As such, close cooperation among governments and industry partners remains crucial to the restoration of international connectivity.” AAPA figures show the region’s carriers flew 3.5 million passengers on scheduled international services in March, nearly three times the 1.2 million passengers flown in the same month in 2021. Compared with pre-COVID-19 levels, the numbers were down 89.2% from the 32.5 million international passengers carried by airlines across the region in March 2019. The AAPA’s statistics are aggregated from the traffic data of 40 Asia-Pacific airlines. Figures from previous years have been adjusted for comparison purposes. "Some uncertainty remains as the pace of reopening borders continues to vary across the region," Menon said. "More broadly, elevated fuel prices and inflation among major economies and the weakening of selected Asian currencies also may affect the pace and extent of recovery in the region’s travel markets."
