German aviation industry group forecasts continued recovery

The number of seats available on flights within, to and from Germany will be 107.7 million over the first half of 2023, the country’s aviation association said on January 6. The Bundesverband der Deutschen Luftverkehrswirtschaft (BDL) said the number came to 78% of seat supply in 2019 and was 20% above availability for the January-June period in 2022. The BDL said that increased long-haul traffic, particularly to and from North America, would be a strong driver of growth, but added it was too soon to say whether the relaxing by China of its strict pandemic travel rules would contribute further.