Increased vaccination rates around the world mean that airlines are now breathing the morning air. Capacity is being increased and consumers can expect cheaper airfares – at least initially.
The aviation industry has been one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, but several companies are now raising their forecasts. Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air, which flies to 15 different European destinations from Skavsta in Nyköping, is looking positively at the summer.
”"I'm pretty sure that the summer will be better than the situation is now," CEO Jozsef Varadi said at an aviation conference, Reuters reports.
Wizz Air now estimates that it will be operating at between 60 and 80 percent of its regular capacity this summer, approximately the same level as competitor Ryanair previously communicated.
At the same time, Wizzair's CEO announces that if restrictions are lifted across Europe, the company could go up to 100 percent. However, excess capacity among airlines means that consumers can expect 20–25 percent cheaper tickets during the summer months, according to the company's CEO.
”It will be very cheap to travel this summer,” notes Jozsef Varadi.
The future is also looking brighter in the important North American market for aviation. The world's fourth largest airline, United Airlines, announces that it is adding 480 daily flights to its summer schedule as more Americans are vaccinated.
In the United States, more than 135 million Americans have now received at least one dose and more than 89 million are fully vaccinated. In several states, around 50 percent of the population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, including populous California.
According to United Airlines, capacity in June will be 67 percent for domestic traffic compared to June 2019 before the pandemic broke out, Reuters reports.
Source: TT
