International travel demand flies high(2)

The International Air Transport Association said the announcement by the Chinese government, including the removal of quarantine for arriving international travelers and lifting of flight restrictions, is a positive step forward and welcome development.

Next is to remove the need for pre-departure COVID-19 testing. It is also crucial for the entire aviation value chain in China to be well-prepared and adequately resourced to handle the expected surge of air travelers to avoid travel disruptions and problems seen elsewhere in the world when borders reopened, the IATA said.

"In our industry outlook released in early December, we are anticipating 2023 passenger traffic in the Asia-Pacific region to reach 70 percent of 2019 levels. The outlook had assumed a progressive easing of restrictions in China over the second half of 2023. China's reopening of borders in January will have a positive effect on the recovery pace of the Asia-Pacific region," the IATA said.

In January, the capacity of global carriers' flights traveling to and from China was only 11 percent of the level compared with 2019. In April, the number is expected to rise to 25 percent, according to travel data provider Cirium.

During the Spring Festival holiday from Jan 21 to 27, China saw an average of 410,000 exits and entries per day, up 120.5 percent over the Spring Festival holiday last year, the National Immigration Administration said on Jan 28.

To adapt to the new situation and requirements, the administration has issued optimized policies to actively promote exchanges between Chinese and foreign personnel, it said.

To satisfy growing international travel demand, Saudia Airlines, the national carrier of Saudi Arabia, has recently launched flights to 10 new destinations, including Bangkok, Barcelona, Moscow, Seoul and Amsterdam. The airline plans to launch services in Beijing at a later time.

Digital transformation and sustainability are at the core of Saudia Airlines' business strategy. Its commitment to sustainability can be traced to the ownership of the world's youngest fleet, with aircraft that better use fuel and reduce carbon emissions in an attempt to lower major environmental impacts, the carrier said.