A data-driven analysis of the aviation recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

In Summer 2022, after a lean COVID-19 spell of almost three years, many airlines reported profits and some airlines even outperformed their pre-pandemic records. In context of the perceived recovery, it is interesting to understand how different markets have gone through the pandemic challenges. In this study, we perform a spatial and temporal dissection of the recovery process the global aviation system went through since May 2020. At the heart of this study, we investigate the patterns underlying market entry decisions during the recovery phase. We identify a rather heterogeneous type of recovery as well as its underlying drivers. We believe that our work is a timely contribution to the research on COVID-19 and aviation, complementary to the existing studies in the literature.

Automated summary

In Summer 2022, airlines witnessed profits and even surpassed their pre-pandemic records, indicating a strong recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. This study examines the spatial and temporal aspects of the global aviation system's recovery since May 2020. The focus is on understanding the market entry decisions and the underlying drivers, revealing a heterogeneous recovery pattern. The research contributes to the existing literature on COVID-19 and aviation by providing timely and complementary insights.