NAIROBI, Kenya, March 18 – Emirates is optimistic of full recovery to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2022 aided by the reduction of COVID-19 cases and the relaxation of containment measures which will push demand and facilitate more travel across the globe.
Kenya recently lifted the PCR requirement on international travelers joining other countries like Canada, Thailand, Sweden, Greece, and Portugal which also scrapped the pre-travel Covid-19 test.
Emirates Kenya country manager Christophe Leloup, in an interview with Capital FM Business, noted that the airline has seen an improved demand of passengers compared to previous months when the Covid-19 omicron variant had seen a surge in infections across the globe.
“It’s good news that many countries have eased travel restrictions, If you look at traveling today compared to months ago, its a lot easier and that is good for airlines and our travelers. Passengers are willing to go to pre-pandemic ways of travel. The demand is strong for the next few weeks and months and I think easing restrictions has helped,” he said.
Currently, the airline operates 10 weekly flights from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Dubai International Airport and is keen to resume to 14 weekly flights as soon as the demand fully picks up.
“All these measures being lifted definitely facilitate more travel, the demand is there. Lifting the PCR requirement for entry is good for incoming passengers we see many other countries are also lifting these measures,” he said.
He, however, noted that the Dubai -based airline will continue to remain agile with the COVID-19 uncertainties and will put the safety and health of its customers as a top priority.
“We have to be agile, the demand can shift depending on pandemic and world situation and we will have to scale our operations depending on these uncertainties but I see 2022 as a year when we will go back to pre covid-19 frequencies,” he said.
” On commercial, we continue to adopt an agile approach to our operation and we will scale up to reach our market demands, we will continue delivering quality products and services and push Dubai as a global destination,” he added.
The airline’s business, he noted, has also been aided by the Dubai Expo 2020 which has facilitated a steady flow of passengers to the United Arab Emirates country.
The Kenya week which coincided with Valentine’s Day, he said, was also a big boost, and being the world’s top flower producer, Emirates SkyCargo flew 1500 tonnes from Kenya in the month of January to different countries.
He expressed hope that more countries beyond Dubai will ease their entry and travel restrictions in order to aid the full recovery of the airline.
“We see a lot of demand to Dubai, but some markets are either closed especially in the East,we hope they will also ease the travel requirements,” he added.
