Air passenger traffic makes 99.7% recovery, hits 403,395 in Q1 2023, driven by relaxation in Covid-19 protocols

Relaxation of Covid-19 measures both internationally and locally has boosted passenger traffic at the country’s airports, resulting in the Zambia Airports Corporation Limited (ZACL) posting 403,395 passengers in the first quarter of 2023.

This is from 265,185 passengers recorded in 2022, says ZACL Communications and Brand Manager, Mweembe Sikaulu, in a statement on Monday.

Sikaulu pointed out that the passenger statistics in the first quarter of 2023 represented an overall recovery of 99.7 percent to pre-Covid-19 levels.

This is compared to recovery levels of 66 percent in 2022 and 31 percent in 2021.

She indicated that air passenger forecasts remained optimistic, with passenger numbers expected to reach pre-pandemic levels on most routes by December 2023.

“The passenger performance in the first quarter of 2023 was mostly driven by the relaxation of Covid-19 measures internationally and locally such as the complete removal of proof of vaccination for vaccinated individuals and PCR test requirement for unvaccinated individuals.

“Further, the removal of Covid-19 restrictions for Chinese domestic and international travel augurs well with the continued strong industry recovery resulting in a surge in the number of people traveling to China, possibly for the first time since the onset of the pandemic,” she said.

Sikaulu said overall international passengers recovered by 96 percent while domestic passengers recovered by 117 percent with Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA) and Solwezi Airport recording the highest recovery rates at 111 percent and 105 percent, respectively.

She stated that Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport (HMNIA) which served the tourism industry still recorded the least recovery at 47 percent of 2019 levels.

On cargo, Sikaulu said a total of 4,205 tonnes of cargo and mail went through ZACL airports in the first quarter of 2023.

She indicated that this represented a growth of 16 percent when compared to the same period in 2022 when 3,632 tonnes were recorded.

“The rate of recovery when compared to 2019 levels when 5,101 tonnes were recorded, is at 82 percent,” Sikauli said.

Meanwhile, Sikaulu mentioned that Zambia targeted over 1.5 million international tourists in the 2023 marketing campaign launched by the Zambia Tourism Agency (ZTA) to accelerate recovery.

She explained that the growth would be driven by increased budgetary support from government for marketing activities, VISA waiver for specific source markets and increased consumer confidence in tourism products.

“Additionally, ZTA and Emirates have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly promote tourism and boost visitor arrivals to Zambia by leveraging Emirates’ extensive global network of 140 destinations.

“ZACL will continue working in partnership with players from various sectors to help make Zambia a destination of choice for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE), which have been key in boosting passenger numbers towards the pre-Covid-19 levels,” Sikaulu said.

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