While other parts of the world are beginning to open up to international travel, most of the key Asia-Pacific markets are seeing very little progress in restoring cross-border air traffic flows. This represents a major headache for Asian airlines anxiously waiting for revenue opportunities to help spark a recovery. European countries, in particular, have been removing travel restrictions as their COVID-19 vaccination rates reach high levels. But in the Asia-Pacific region, vaccination rates have generally been much slower. New waves of more infectious strains have also made Asian governments more cautious about opening borders, and in many cases, even the gains made in domestic markets have eroded due to heightened restrictions. Vaccination programs are crucial to airlines' hopes because they are widely considered the best avenue for resuming travel. When countries approach herd-immunity vaccination levels of 70% or higher, their governments will have more options to remove restrictions.
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