Rédaction Africa Links 24 with lexpress
Published on 2024-04-17 02:45:00
The number of passengers transported for the months of January and February is declining. According to Civil Aviation, this is a natural cyclical trend.
A decrease is recorded compared to air transport activities. Civil Aviation reports a 16% decrease in passenger traffic in January compared to the previous two months. According to available figures, eighty-two thousand people were transported during this period. The local aerial ballet slows down after the peak period in November and December.
While tourism fuels the bulk of air traffic as well as movements in international airports, long-haul flights are less frequent in January. Only 15% of passengers are transported on this network, while regional flights constitute the bulk of traffic, accounting for 56% of the January services according to statistics.
This performance is followed by domestic flights, which represent 29% of air traffic. However, these figures are higher than those of the same period in 2023, confirming the recovery of tourism. Taken separately, this picture shows a “natural cyclical trend” of declining air traffic, as indicated by ACM. There is also a current lull in tourism, due to the low season and the end of the Christmas holidays, a period when tourists flock to the island. Weather and uncertainties also hinder air traffic at certain times during the cyclone season.
Over a short period, freight traffic also seems to be declining. Compared to December 2023, it has decreased by 7%. However, between February 2024 and the same period last year, an increase of 20% is observed. This logistical branch of air transport seems to be struggling to reach its 2019 level. The post-Covid years have not been kind to freight traffic. The situation of the former national company, Air Madagascar, which has weakened, plays a role. There is also a noticeable lack of logistics. Aircraft are missing, especially for long-haul flights, while the majority of the island’s freight consists mainly of imported foreign products, or luxury food exports.
-Translated by TeamAssist.
Read the original article(French) on lexpress.mg
