Airports Council International (ACI) has predicted that the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region will lose the top slot in terms of passenger traffic in 2022 owing to the travel measures of China and Japan.
As per the latest ACI Asia-Pacific forecast, the passenger traffic in Asia Pacific will recover only by 55% as compared to pre-pandemic levels, whereas in other regions, North America and Europe, the recovery is expected to be approximate 70 to 80% respectively. The report estimates the fall in numbers to tough border measures in China along with Japan’s cautious approach toward inbound travel restrictions. However, situation is expected to improve slightly with countries like Hong-Kong relaxing the quarantine restrictions.
As per the report, in 2019, 3.38 billion passengers travelled by air in Asia-Pacific, representing 37% of the global volume of 9.16 billion. The year 2020 was subdued in terms of air travel given the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of international borders. This was the time when APAC witnessed only 1.57 billion passengers. However, Asia-Pacific dominated the traffic share by contributing 1.57 bn pax or 44% to the global traffic of 3.6 bn.
In 2021, 1.50 billion people travelled by air in Asia-Pacific, experiencing a slight decline, but was still the leading region accounting for 33% of 4.6 billion global passengers.
Although the latest ACI forecast predicts 22% growth for 2022 over 2021, the share of passenger traffic in Asia-Pacific is likely to drop to second globally, with an estimated traffic of 1.84 billion passengers showing a sharp a decline of 45% compared to 2019.
Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific said: “The traffic in the region will not be able to fully recover to 2019 levels unless all countries keep their borders open to facilitate freedom of movement. China and Japan, one of the largest contributors to the regions overall traffic have been slow in lifting travel and Covid restrictions. We are urging States to take a measured approach to facilitate the recovery in a more sustainable manner and without causing significant impact on their healthcare system. Accelerating the recovery will need a whole of industry and government support, especially in view of an increasingly challenging macroeconomic scenario.”
Asia-Pacific which has dominated the civil aviation market for several years prior to the pandemic, but now it is estimated to finish second, behind Europe in terms of passenger share.
The ACI Asia-Pacific has written a letter, co-signed by ACI World and World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), urging the Prime Minister of Japan to remove all restrictions and restore the travel privileges to enable smooth recovery of the industry in the region.