Global airlines are bracing for more volatility due to the Omicron coronavirus variant that could force them to juggle schedules and destinations at short notice and rely more on domestic markets where possible, analysts say.
Many travellers have already booked trips for the Christmas period, a peak season for airlines, but since news of the variant last week, there are growing industry concerns over a pause in future bookings and further delays to the already slow recovery in business travel.
"It feels a little bit like we are back to where we were a year ago and that's not a great prospect for the industry and beyond," Deirdre Fulton, a partner at consultancy MIDAS Aviation, said at an industry webinar. All non-EU travellers to mainland France, where the Omicron variant has not been detected yet, will have to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test, regardless of their vaccination status, a government spokesman said. Ireland and Portugal are also demanding that travellers produce a negative test.
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways, which lacks a domestic market and is operating at only 10 percent of pre-pandemic capacity, said it was too early to assess Omicron's impact on demand. United Airlines is launching its Newark-Cape Town route on Wednesday and Delta Air is expecting strong bookings over the Christmas period.
Major European airlines are far more dependent on international travel than their US counterparts, placing them more at risk of fallout from the Omicron variant.
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