"Even as COVID Ends, Traveling Remains Difficult"…Global 'Air Travel Chaos' Continues

China, Canada, and the US Face Soaring Airfare Prices and Consecutive Flight Cancellations

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Wooseok] As social distancing measures due to the spread of COVID-19 are eased, there is a surge in 'revenge consumption' for travel that people had been unable to take, leading to 'aviation chaos' occurring around the world.

On the 29th (local time), China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the lifting of interregional travel restrictions.

Following the announcement, searches for travel destinations on Trip.com (Chinese name Xiecheng), China's largest online travel agency, tripled compared to usual, and the number of airline tickets issued to Hainan Island's Sanya and Haikou, China's representative summer resorts, increased by 92% compared to a week earlier.

Additionally, ticket issuance for flights from Shanghai to Sanya surged by 1.5 times, and the price of airline tickets from Shanghai to Sanya next month soared about 3 to 4 times, from 700 yuan (approximately 140,000 KRW) at the beginning of this month to 1,500?3,200 yuan (approximately 300,000?620,000 KRW).

This situation is not limited to China. In Canada, the United States, and other countries, 'aviation chaos' is occurring due to the inability to handle the rapidly increasing number of travelers.

According to AFP on the 29th (local time), Air Canada, the largest airline in Canada, plans to cancel an average of 150 flights per day during the summer vacation period of July and August.

Michael Rousseau, CEO of Air Canada, stated in a press release, "We had no choice but to reduce the number of passengers to a level that the system can handle," and asked for understanding, saying, "It is difficult to provide normal service to passengers under the current circumstances."

On the 24th (local time), the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that 5,079 consumer complaints related to air service were received in April, which is five times the number in April 2019 (1,205 complaints).

Furthermore, the on-time arrival rate of passenger flights operated by major U.S. airlines in April was 76%, lower than March (77.2%) and April 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic (79.8%).

U.S. airlines operated 566,893 flights in April, which is only 87% of the number in the same month in 2019.

The aviation industry is currently facing severe manpower shortages, including pilots, due to the lingering impact of COVID-19. On top of this, with the easing of social distancing, tourism demand has revived, causing frequent flight cancellations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.