Data from IATA, Afraa show how well African airlines are recovering post-pandemic
After the rough patch that was experienced by African airlines over the past two years due to the pandemic, there are strong indications that things are getting back to normal.
According to information made available by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and African Airline Association (Afraa), African airlines were able to improve their performance by 69% and 70% between February and March, respectively.
Specifically, Revenue Passenger Kilometre (RPK) jumped 69% in February, far above the 20.5% growth that was recorded in January this year.
IATA’s Director-General, Willie Walsh, attributed the improvement to recovery in the travels and tourism sector which was spurred by reopening of borders.
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“The recovery in air travel is gathering steam as governments in many parts of the world lift travel restrictions. States that persist in attempting to lock out the disease, rather than managing it, as we do with other diseases, risk missing out on the enormous economic and societal benefits that a restoration of international connectivity will bring,” he said.
Recall that an earlier report by Afraa detailed how the COVID-19 pandemic hammered Africa’s aviation industry in 2021, resulting in an estimated $8.6 billion revenue loss. Earlier in 2020, the collective loss was even higher at $10.21 billion.
Despite the significant improvement recorded so far, Afraa’s March forecast showed that the airlines might still lose another $4.9 billion in 2022.
In the meantime, African airlines have reinstated about 80% of their pre-pandemic international routes, according to Afraa. More so, EgyptAir, Ethiopian Airlines and others have launched new routes.
