As the travel market continues its recovery towards the sort of volumes which were experienced in 2019, one area which demands further research post pandemic is corporate travel. To better understand this critical segment, GVA recently completed a study with travel managers from nearby international organisations, NGOs and multinational companies.

The study’s three main outcomes were that the observable business travel policy developments centred upon rationalisation, control and sustainability. The result of these changes indicates that business travel is expected to remain lower than 2019 levels in the long term, as short hops for internal meetings are replaced with video conferencing. That said, the pandemic also revealed the importance of meeting in person for strategic reunions and strengthening business relationships.

To reflect new sustainable travel policies, travel managers are now prioritising direct flights over indirect itineraries, even if costs are higher. This is important because for long-haul routes the organisations mainly use business class. As a result, many intercontinental destinations – such as Singapore, Tokyo and Sao Paulo – are needed by the respondents, as they do not currently have access to a direct flight from GVA.

Please contact the market development team if you would like a copy of the report.

The return of Air China’s route from Beijing last month was a significant development for GVA’s ongoing traffic recovery, as the weekly service is the last long-haul sector to restart operations post pandemic. Due to the importance of the resumption of this service, several officials and guests from the diplomatic, economic and tourism sectors were present at the relaunch.

This route will be operated weekly for the time being, allowing for the gradual recovery in demand. However, at the start of the S23 season Air China plans to operate three weekly A330-200 frequencies. The cargo industry also welcomed the return of the link to China, especially given the continued demand for transporting goods to this region.

Click here to view the video from the Beijing launch celebrations.

With all the data now collected and collated, GVA is happy to share its key statistics for last year. Looking at passenger traffic by region versus 2021 figures, volumes to Africa grew year-on-year, led by Tunisia (+159%) in terms of country markets and by Agadir (+197%) for growth at an individual destination. Looking at the same metrics in the Americas, traffic to the US delivered the biggest increase (+1,376%), with New York JFK providing the largest airport rise in passengers.

Throughput to Asia and Middle East was up versus 2021 figures, led by Jordan (+747%) and Tel Aviv (+424%) in terms of country market and city pair data. Closer to home, traffic to Europe also increased year-on-year, with the single route to Oslo (3,936%), being the standout result.

There have also been marked improvements in freight volumes between 2022 and 2021, with total air freight and post up by 18%. The largest component of the cargo sector, air freight which is carried on scheduled services, increased by 24% versus last year.

Outside of the standard traffic and freight results, GVA was also happy with two other indicative metrics. Passengers per movement was climbing steadily in the years running up to the COVID-19 crisis, peaking at 124 in 2019. For 2022, this figure reached 122, illustrating that normality has returned for this metric. This environmental benchmark was complimented by the fact that 25% of all movements last year were operated by aircraft in the best noise class, further improving GVA’s sustainability credentials.

The biggest and most influential airspace event in the world – Airspace World – recently took place at Palexpo, the exhibition centre just a few minutes’ walk from GVA. Over 10,000 ATM industry professionals, 200+ exhibitors, 60+ speakers and industry media attended the event between 8-10 March.

The conference gathers ANSPs, suppliers, ATM professionals, innovators and new technology owners in one location for three days of networking, learning and business. The purpose of the event is to bring together manned and unmanned aviation industry experts to discuss and then build a blueprint for future skies. To deliver on such aspirational goals, new technology is the key driver in achieving this mission at the CANSO-organised event.

Airspace World is just one of the hundreds of conferences, exhibitions and events which take place in and around Geneva every year, driving significant high-yielding passenger volumes for GVA partner airlines.