Asia’s Fragile Aviation Recovery Set Back by Resurgent Virus
- Chinese seat capacity down from late-September: OAG Aviation
- Flight activity has also dropped sharply in Thailand, Malaysia
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A fragile recovery in Asian aviation is being snuffed out by a resurgence of Covid-19 in the region, pushing back forecasts for when air travel will get back to pre-virus levels and weighing on jet fuel margins.
Chinese seat capacity on domestic and international flights has fallen more than 20% from the end of September, when it almost got back to January 2020 levels, according to OAG Aviation, a flight data and analytics provider. People are being encouraged not to travel over the Lunar New Year period, which runs through early March, suggesting capacity may not rise until late this quarter.