Airports see smoother summer travel than 2022 but brace for headaches

ACI Worldwide

17/02/2023 06:52

By Allison Lampert and Joanna Plucinska
       Feb 17 (Reuters) - Global airports expect smoother
travel this summer as staffing improves, but surging passenger
demand during peak periods in Europe and North America could
still bring long lines, baggage piles and delayed flights, an
industry group says. 
    Airports, airlines and government agencies have been
staffing up to avoid crippling labor shortages that curbed
capacity and led to travel headaches last summer. 
    Global passenger demand is expected to recover to
pre-pandemic levels on most routes in 2023, placing even more
pressure on the stretched industry.
    "The summer months are indeed expected to be challenging at
times for Europe, North America and some parts of Southeast Asia
as passenger loads are expected to increase and reach levels in
some places close to or even above 2019 levels," said Thomas
Romig, vice president safety, security and operations at airport
trade group ACI World. 
    But most airport executives gathered at an Airports Council
International meeting this week in France's Reunion Island
forecast any disruption was likely to be during peak traffic
periods rather than run for the entire summer season, Romig
said.
    Amsterdam's Schiphol airport and others might not have
enough staff until the end of June, Air France KLM  AIRF.PA 
Chief Financial Officer Steven Zaat told reporters.
    "Of course we are still impacted by the fact that there's
labor shortages everywhere, also at the airport ...  but we see
that gradually operations are actually back on track," he said.
    Low-cost airlines easyJet  EZJ.L , Ryanair  RYA.I  and Wizz
Air  WIZZ.L  posted robust financial results at the start of
2023 on the back of very strong forward bookings. Analysts have
said that customers are protecting their holidays despite rising
inflation and recession fears.
    Airports are already taking steps to prepare for high season
travel. Earlier this week, Schiphol said it was considering
reducing the number of passengers it could accept during the May
vacation period by around 5%.
    In Canada, Montreal-Trudeau International Airport said it
was adding services designed to curb lines ahead of spring
break, such as bolstering an online booking platform that lets
passengers schedule a specific time to pass through security
checkpoints. 
    The country wrestled with long border and security lines at
major hubs last summer due to staffing shortages, and more
recently faced winter weather disruptions. 
    Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra discussed spring
break preparations during recent meeting with airlines and
airports, a spokesperson for the office of the minister of
transport said.      
    "We are actively working to ensure the congestion we saw
last summer doesn't happen again," spokesperson Nadine Ramadan
added.    
 (Reporting By Allison Lampert in Montreal and Joanna Plucinska
in London; Editing by Jamie Freed)
 ((Allison.Lampert@thomsonreuters.com; 514-796-4212; Reuters
Messaging: allison.lampert.reuters.com@reuters.net))