Emirates, Etihad see airline industry recovery next year

Middle Eastern carriers Emirates and Etihad each see an industry recovery from the coronavirus pandemic happening next year, airline bosses said at an industry conference on Thursday.

Emirates President Tim Clark said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine would delay the projected recovery to 2019 levels of traffic until the middle of next year, adding that without war in Europe he had thought the recovery was possible by the end of this year.

Etihad Group Chief Executive Tony Douglas told the CAPA Centre for Aviation conference he expected the industry to recover to 2019 levels by "mid-to-end 2023."