# Airline body IATA sees industry recovery now in 2023
Published: 2022-05-09
Category: Headlines
Category URL: https://blockchaintribune.com/category/headlines/
Meta Title: Airline Industry Expects Pre-Pandemic Levels by 2023
Meta Description: Find out how the aviation industry is bouncing back ahead of schedule, with passenger traffic expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2023.
URL: https://blockchaintribune.com/airline-body-iata-sees-industry-recovery-now-in-2023/

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RIYADH (Reuters) -The head of the world’s biggest airline trade body said on Monday [passenger](https://blockchaintribune.com/cathay-pacific-lowers-q4-capacity-forecast-as-travel-restrictions-linger/) traffic was recovering faster than expected and that, on average, the industry could now see those figures return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, a year earlier than expected.

The easing of COVID-19 related restrictions around the world has released demand pent up over the last two years when governments shut their borders, leading to a jump in flights.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General Willie Walsh told Reuters the near-term outlook remained positive even as the aviation industry faces new headwinds such as high oil prices, inflation and workforce shortages.

“We’re seeing very strong bookings. Certainly all the [airline](https://blockchaintribune.com/airline-sas-posts-bigger-q2-loss-eyes-end-to-restructuring/) CEOs that I’m talking to are seeing not just good demand for near-end travel but they continue to see demand as they looked through the year,” he said at a conference in Riyadh.

Many regions are expected to perform better this year, though Walsh cautioned that he did not expect a quick recovery in Asia-Pacific, citing restrictions in China as it pursues a zero-COVID policy.

But he said that overall, given the current accelerated pick up in passenger traffic, the industry could reach pre-pandemic passenger figures next year, helped by a strong summer in 2023.

“I don’t think we should be distracted from the fact that we are seeing a strong recovery and I think that recovery will gather momentum as we go through the rest of this year into 2023.”

Wizz Air Chief Executive Jozsef Varadi separately told [Reuters](https://blockchaintribune.com/russia-jobless-rate-stays-at-record-low-of-3-9-in-july/) he was fairly confident the European low cost airline would see a good summer of bookings, though he said he was concerned about supply chain disruptions like airport staffing shortages.

“I think you will have a lot of customers but you will have a lot of supply chain issues and you will have a lot of cost issues. So it’s going to be a very interesting kind of mix going through the summer.”

(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell; Wriitng by Lina Najem, Editing by Louise Heavens and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)


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