Airport World - Stefano Baronci
ACI Asia-Pacific’s regional director, Stefano Baronci, provides an update on how airports in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific are faring in their recovery from COVID.
What is the prognosis for the recovery of international traffic across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions in 2022?
We expect Asia-Pacific and the Middle East to recover at rates between -40% and -50% versus the projected baseline, a reflection of the different reopening approaches taken by governments.
The Middle East, where air transport markets are predominantly international, took a more pragmatic approach, reopening with health-related safeguards such as testing and vaccinations.
Asia-Pacific still provides a mixed picture, with some positive developments ahead. Larger markets such as China, Japan and South Korea remain more restrictive, operating under blanket travel bans or mandatory multi-week quarantines. Recently, states such as Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, the Philippines and Australia chose to reopen to international passengers without quarantine subject to undertaking required vaccination, which is in line with the approach taken by many other countries and the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).
