Passenger demand for air travel will return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of March on most routes and will surpass 2019 levels by about 3 percent before the end of the year, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) says.
ICAO’s analysis of passenger demand, made public on Thursday, said that airlines are expected to operate profitably in the last three months of 2023, ending three years of losses, and passenger demand in 2024 is forecast to be about 4 percent higher than 2019.
“The passenger forecasts … build on the strong momentum toward recovery in 2022, as previously assessed by ICAO statistical analysis,” ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar said.
ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano added, “Assuring the safe, secure and sustainable recovery of air services will be key to restoring aviation’s ability to act as a catalyst for sustainable development at the local, national and global levels and will consequently be…
