The industry showed encouraging signs of recovery in the first quarter of 2022 — capacity was rebuilding in many parts of Asia-Pacific and Middle East region; domestic passenger traffic made considerable progress; cargo growth proved to be resilient and was above pre-pandemic levels. Despite the subdued pandemic environment, airports in the region continued to provide a safe and high service quality for the benefit of their passengers.
However, travel restrictions ranging from mandatory quarantines in designated facilities to pre-departure testing and on-arrival; suspension of international air travel in some parts of the region; geopolitical conflict and subsequent impacts on macroeconomic factors have proved to be detrimental to the overall growth of aviation.

Analysis shows that travel restrictions have to a large degree failed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 mainly due to the high infectious nature of the omicron variant and have turned out to be a deterrent for the recovery of aviation, impacting the economy of the region,” said Stefano Baronci, director general of ACI Asia-Pacific. “Cargo business proves on the contrary the leading role that Asia-Pacific plays in the global economy. Despite an improving trend, airport financial margins remained far below pre-pandemic levels and are economically unsustainable. It is therefore time to remove ineffective restrictions and enable Nations to accelerate their economic growth. To achieve a truly sustainable recovery from the slump caused by COVID-19, co-operation and the establishment of standards that harmonise the processes for international travel between states are crucial. The global recovery will only be realised with the escalation of vaccination campaigns, development of digital health passes, and supportive policies from governments.”