Page 19 - AAA MARCH - MAY 2022 Online Magazine

cent below. While Omicron-related lockdowns
in China caused a 59.1 per cent fall in domestic
traffic in March and impacted global domestic
traffic numbers - up just 11.7 per cent com-
pared to March 2021, international RPKs shot
up 285.3 per cent versus March 2021, with the
lifting of pandemic- related restrictions causing
an uptick in activity in almost every region.

Europe led the way when it comes to inter-
national traffic, with March traffic by carriers
in the region rising 425.4 per cent versus the
same month last year, compared to an increase
of 384.6 per cent year-over-year increase in
February. While Asia-Pacific airlines had a
197.1 per cent rise in March traffic, carriers in
the Middle Eastern recorded a 245.8 per cent
increase in traffic. North American carriers
experienced a 227.8 per cent traffic rise in
March while the corresponding increase for
Latin American airlines was 239.9 per cent,
African airlines had a 91.8 per cent rise in March
traffic compared to the same month last year.

“WITH BARRIERS TO TRAVEL
COMING DOWN IN MOST demic situation), the report added.
PLACES, WE ARE SEEING THE
LONG-EXPECTED SURGE IN According to industry analysts, staffing issues, which have led to
PENT-UP DEMAND FINALLY BEING flight delays, cancellations, and higher prices in many parts of the
REALIZED,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s world over the last few months, are likely to persist at least until the
end of the year, if not the first half of 2023. The industry is working
Director General. to fill most of the thousands of jobs slashed during the height of
“UNFORTUNATELY, WE ARE ALSO the pandemic, but many airline and aerospace workers have either
SEEING LONG DELAYS AT MANY taken early retirements or have left the industry, which remained
AIRPORTS WITH INSUFFICIENT almost entirely shut down for months, for other jobs. The increase
RESOURCES TO HANDLE THE in voluntary departures is being felt all through the sector – aviation,
MRO and defence.
GROWING NUMBERS. THIS MUST
BE ADDRESSED URGENTLY TO The problem is not limited to one region; according to a survey by
AVOID FRUSTRATING CONSUMER aviation talent recruitment specialists JMC Recruitment Solutions in
ENTHUSIASM FOR AIR TRAVEL.” October last year, almost two-fifths of British and European skilled

New Challenges
The odds are on the momentum in passenger
traffic recovery accelerating through 2022, but
air travel isn’t going to be the most pleasant
experience. The impact of the pandemic on the
industry is such that its ripples are going to be
felt well into the recovery phase. It its “Aviation:
Benefits Beyond Borders” report in September
last year, Air Transport Action Group said that
that aviation-supported jobs would potentially
fall by 44.6 million to 43.8 million (-50 per cent
because of the pandemic. Direct aviation jobs
(at airlines, airports, manufacturers, and air
traffic management) will fall by 2.3 million (a 21
per cent reduction compared with the pre-pan-

ASIAN AIRLINES & AEROSPACE March_May 2022 | 19