Month: February 2022

It’s hard to decide whether flying taxis are arriving very late or extremely early. On the one hand, the promise of airborne cabs zipping between skyscrapers has been a science fiction staple for decades. On the other, it wasn’t long ago that air taxis were filed in the ‘we’ll see’ folder of future technology, alongside hoverboards and hotels on the Moon.

But after years of wishful thinking, it’s suddenly happening. Investment in advanced aerial mobility (as the sector is known) has more than tripled in the last year, and analysts at Morgan Stanley expect the global air taxi market to be worth £2.7tr by 2050. Read More

With many countries beginning to ease their travel restrictions, airlines are eyeing 2022 as a year for recovery. Kenya Airways is once such carrier, with the Nairobi-based operator projecting a notable rise in passenger revenues this year. The airline is hoping for a busy summer despite the uncertainty of an upcoming election.

Revenues up by a fifth

Speaking to Reuters, Kenya Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Allan Kilavuka, explained that the airline’s worst days in the coronavirus pandemic are likely behind it. He stated that “we have been through the worst patch,” with this likely referring to the early months of the crisis. Indeed, Reuters notes that, during 2020, revenues at the Kenyan flag carrier halved. Since then, it has been on the comeback trail. Read More

Africa has 357 airlines, the top 10 of which carried more than 60% of traffic. This reflects the fact that many airlines on the continent are very small: some have as few as two aircraft. Between them the airlines carried 95 million passengers in 2019, according to Routes, an online source of information on route announcements.

Airlines operating on the continent face particular challenges.

Firstly, the industry has to contend with huge disparities in economic and air transport development. There is also an uneven distribution of international air passenger traffic across regions and within countries. The traffic is predominantly centered in a few hubs in North, East and South Africa; and in the large and medium-size cities. Read More

Flight Centre UK’s 2022 report says the “travel agent is king” and bookings through agencies are expected to rise this year because of the complexities of travel in the Covid era.

More than half (54%) of Brits would choose to book through a travel agent, rather than independently, according to the report.

“Though the benefits of booking through a travel agent have long been recognised, the uncertainty of travel in this Covid-age has further cemented the value of an agent’s expertise,” the report said. Read More