Airfares Drop After Kia Resumes Full Operation

Airfares into and out of Kuwait International Airport (KIA) have dropped substantially following the resumption of full activities at the airport on 24 October. Price drops ranging from 50 to 200 percent were being offered to some destinations by travel agencies in the country.

Fayez Al-Enezi, Head of the Kuwaiti Airways Media and Public Relations Department, said that the corporation increased flights after the cabinet decided to resume full-capacity operations at KIA. He also expressed hope that the air travel would be restored to the pre-coronavirus levels, affirming that the Kuwait Airways is fully geared to service a large number of passengers at Terminal-4.

For his part, Nassib Adnan, the deputy director of a travel agency, said the decision by the Cabinet to resume full operations at the airport contributed to cutting the airfares by more than 50 percent to some destinations such as Turkey, Egypt, France, and Germany. However, the costs for traveling to other destinations including the UAE, Britain, India, and the Philippines have remained high as compared to the airfares before the pandemic.

Airfares are largely affected by demand and supply, as well as costs of operation costs of airlines. Though entry and exit restrictions have been eased in many airports, full restoration of activities to pre-pandemic level has yet to begin in full swing. Recent surge in infections in Europe and elsewhere have dented travel enthusiasm among many people. Obligatory quarantines and PCR tests imposed in many places have also reduced interest in travel.

Full recovery of the travel and tourism sectors is now forecast to happen only by the first or second quarter of 2022, and remains conditional on vaccinations being able to quell the spread of infections and an easing of restrictions.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts a decline in travel sector spending of nearly USD 52 billion in 2021 and USD12 billion in 2022. The new estimates are far lower compared to the USD138 billion that the industry suffered in 2020, when the COVID-19 crisis led to travel restrictions, closure of airports and air navigations in most places around the world.

 

 

 

SOURCE  TIMESKUWAIT

Comments Post Comment

Leave a Comment

Submit