The Week In Travel

Business travel recovery proceeded at a slower pace in 2021 but is set to strengthen over the next few years, with full recovery expected by 2024 according to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). In its latest BTI Outlook study, GBTA predicted global business travel would reach pre-pandemic spend of US$1.4 trillion within the next three years. However, a recent GBTA poll found 90% of respondents based in Europe were concerned over the potential revenue impact on business travel companies due to the new Omicron COVID variant.

In more welcome news for travel operators, the European Commission has extended airport slot relief rules from 28th March 2022 to 29th October 2022. This means airlines will only be required to use 64% of their allocated slots to retain their airport rights, rather than the usual 80%. The move was welcomed by organisations including the International Air Transport Association, which said this would help airlines to build ‘sustainable schedules that respond to demand’.

Aena’s airport network received a positive boost in November, with passenger traffic for the month reaching 73% of pre-pandemic figures. Aena handled 13,442,676 passengers and 139,716 aircraft movements, with Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport registering the highest number of operations with a total of 24,031.

In Asia Pacific, Singapore Airlines announced it will launch flights from Singapore to Perth a month earlier than planned. The flights will begin on 5th February 2022 under the Vaccinated Travel Lane arrangement between the two countries.

And finally, a dozy baggage handler in Mumbai inadvertently managed to end up in Abu Dhabi after falling asleep in the cargo hold of an IndiGo flight. The worker is reported to have nodded off behind a baggage compartment aboard the plane, and only woke up as the aircraft was taking off. The man in question has since been safely returned to India.