Europe 1 with AFP 4:48 p.m., May 4, 2022
With a strong recovery in global air traffic in March 2022, airlines are alarmed by airport congestion.
The workforce, reduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, is struggling to pick up the pace, forcing companies to cancel some of their flights last weekend.
The world's main association of airlines called on Wednesday to "urgently address" the causes of the congestion of many airports, at a time when traffic is picking up sharply after more than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"As travel restrictions are being lifted in most countries, latent demand, the long-awaited surge (in air travel) is finally materializing," said the chief executive of the International Air Transport Association. (Iata), Willie Walsh.
But "unfortunately, we are also witnessing long waits in many airports, due to insufficient resources to manage the increasing crowds", noted Willie Walsh, quoted in a press release from his organization representing 290 companies and totaling 83% of the total. global passenger traffic.
Highest air activity since the start of the pandemic
"We must urgently address (this problem) to avoid showering consumer enthusiasm for air travel," warned Willie Walsh.
According to the latest figures from Iata, the month of March saw global air transport activity, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), the sector's benchmark unit, reach 59% of the same month of 2019, i.e. the highest proportion since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.
For the whole of 2021, global air traffic had plateaued at 41.6% of 2019, still in RPK.
The progression is particularly spectacular in Europe, with a 425% increase in March compared to the same month of 2021, it is true marked by travel restrictions due to the Delta variant.
This recovery is materializing despite the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which caused closures of airspace, but also an oil shock aggravating inflation and the disruption of supply chains.
Understaffing and flight cancellations
The concern expressed by Willie Walsh responds to the situation observed in recent weeks in European airports which have reduced their staff or those of their subcontractors in the face of the crisis, and are struggling to pick up the pace.
The KLM company was thus forced to cancel dozens of flights to and from Amsterdam-Schiphol last weekend, overwhelmed by a large crowd during the spring break.
Unions representing employees or subcontractors of Groupe ADP, manager of Paris airports, have also warned against the risk of congestion, particularly at security checks, while 4,000 positions are to be filled on these platforms and that the companies are struggling to recruit.