Air transport may return to pre-pandemic levels much earlier than expected, with industry officials estimating that this could be done as early as the summer of 2022. This is because despite the new uncertainty caused by the Omicron mutation, the recovery trend travel is not interrupted, with the result that companies are preparing for increased bookings, especially in summer destinations such as Greece.
“People want to travel, they know what to do and now they recognize that the plane is a completely safe means of transport, provided of course that all protection measures are observed,” said an aviation market official, noting that the new coronavirus mutation will not have “The main dangers we identify are external and relate specifically to tackling the pandemic in each country individually and the measures it can announce,” he added.
The assessment of the Emirates country manager for Greece, Mr. Khalid Al Zarooni, was similar. “The worst is behind us”, he emphasized characteristically during the event for the completion of 25 years of presence of the airline in our country that took place yesterday in a central hotel in Athens.
Al Zarooni also stressed that Emirates has already restored 90% of its network and is currently flying to more than 120 destinations. The airline aims to restore 70% of pre-pandemic capacity levels by the end of the year. In the midst of this journey, the airline is strengthening its manpower by promoting the recruitment of more than 6,000 employees, including 3,000 cabin crew members based at its headquarters in Dubai.
He added that the initial goal is for the company to return to pre-coronavirus levels “something we will achieve in the summer of 2022” and then “we will be able to discuss any expansion of our activity in Greece with new frequencies and routes”.
“Despite the significant impact of the aviation pandemic, we are recovering and intensifying our activities to meet the growing demand for travel. Not only have bookings been increased for our services to Dubai and New York, but we are also seeing a “Gradual return to long-distance travel as the border prepares to reopen, for example in Australia, where many Greeks have friends and relatives,” he said.
Emirates presence in Greece
As stated at the same event by the communication director of AIA, Mrs. Ioanna Papadopoulou, the airline from the Emirates “is a valuable partner”, having handled about 4 million passengers, while it has allocated a total of 6 million seats. For “Eleftherios Venizelos “Dubai is an important interconnection hub with Australia and Asia.
Furthermore, Emirates is the only airline that serves direct flights between Greece and Dubai, while in March 2017, the Athens-New York connection was launched, which was the only direct, daily flight, throughout the year, which connects Greece with the USA. The connection stopped in March 2020 and started again last June.
The great value of cargo
Freight forwarding activities are also important, with the head of the company in Greece describing cargo flights as a “lifeline in the pandemic.” between Greece and the United Arab Emirates, as well as other countries in its global network.
During the temporary suspension of passenger services between Athens and New York due to the pandemic, Emirates allowed the unimpeded export of Greek fishery products to the US, via direct passenger flights from Athens to Dubai, with day-to-day flights from Dubai to New York. During this time, more than 1,200 tonnes of fish were traded. On a monthly basis, 210 tons of fresh fish are transported to New York restaurants.
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Source From: Capital
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