More than 6,000 flights were canceled for Christmas because of the Omicron variant which is spreading at high speed around the world. Airlines were barely beginning to see a way out of the crisis.
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Almost 6,300 flights were canceled worldwide by airlines for this Christmas weekend, due to the Omicron variant and cases of contamination among pilots, flight attendants and other staff. These cancellations fall to “worst moment”, deplores Sunday, December 26 Xavier Tytelman at the microphone of franceinfo.
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“Before the crisis, on average over the year, we made about an average of 10,000 flights per day. There, at a peak, it rose to 30,000 or 50,000, explains the former aviator, who became an aeronautical consultant, who estimates flight cancellations at “at least 10 to 15% of trips “. A very large number, “especially during the holidays, during which we hope to make up for this period which is very difficult for the airline sector”, he emphasizes.
Xavier Tytelman adds that with the reopening of borders, “we were breaking records, because people want to travel”. He notably cites the examples of Algeria and the United States, “countries to which people have not been able to travel for a very long time”. These destinations that are closing “it is catastrophic from a financial point of view”, points out the consultant. He explains that the airlines “were hoping for a quick exit from the crisis and finally, we are starting again in the red.”
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