Air travel recovery continues in October but travel bans could derail it

IATA director general Willie Walsh

KUALA LUMPUR: The recovery in air travel continued in October 2021 with broad-based improvements in both domestic and international markets, but the imposition of travel bans by governments in response to the new Omicron variant may threaten the sector’s recovery, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

It said although total demand for air travel in October 2021 measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) was down 49.4 per cent compared with October 2019, the number was an improvement over the 53.3 per cent fall recorded in September 2021 compared to two years earlier.