It’s been a bumpy ride for Australia’s aviation industry since the pandemic first hit. Delays, cancellations and staff shortages have been reported across the nation, while insane lines at airports over the busy holiday period highlighted the struggles airlines have faced since COVID-19 started.

However, one travel expert is predicting a rosier future for travellers in 2023 - and it looks like cheaper flights could be on the cards!



Budget travellers were among those who bore the brunt of the economic effects of higher flight prices. But, with travel beginning to slowly resume, one expert believes we are on the cusp of a recovery.

According to Neil Hansford, a travel industry veteran with more than 40 years of experience in the airline and aviation industry, increased capacity on flights will lead to cheaper seats over the coming months.


‘A whole lot of additional capacity is coming back into the market without the pressures of Christmas,’ he said.

More than 2.2 million people were said to have passed through Sydney Airport during the peak of the holiday season, including over 800,000 international passengers.



Mr Hansford, who is the Chairman of Strategic Aviation Solutions, explained that the biggest problem was to supply the short-staffed airlines with more employees. ‘But we’ve bounced back as an economy from COVID much stronger than anybody thought we would,’ he said.

He told reporters that issues with staff shortages could be traced back to a 20 per cent reduction in capacity for airlines in the lead-up to Christmas last year, and explained that this led to cheaper flights ‘disappearing’.

He added: ‘People found they could get similar paying jobs elsewhere … those people won’t be found again.’


A spokesperson for Qantas mentioned that more than 1,500 new staff had been hired between April and September 2022.

Three new routes were also added in December 2022 which include Brisbane to Tokyo, Melbourne to Dallas Fort Worth in Texas, and Sydney to Seoul, South Korea.

Meanwhile, Jetstar announced it would start direct flights between Sydney and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands in June this year.

Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert stated that passenger capacity increased over each holiday period in 2022. Domestic terminals took in an estimated 1.9 million passengers over the holidays, which is a 91 per cent recovery since the pandemic started.



The COVID-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching impact on the global airline industry, as air travel has been heavily restricted to contain the virus. Most airlines have seen a sharp decline in revenues, with many suspending or reducing services in response to declined demand. This has left the future of the industry uncertain, with conflicting predictions of whether the industry will survive, recover, or begin to shrink in the years ahead.

At the same time, analysis of flight data shows that the pandemic is driving a shift from long-haul international flights to shorter domestic routes, as people opt for holidays closer to home. Airlines may need to prepare for the possibility that these changes could have a lasting impact on their business models.

Although the future of airlines is still up in the air, some experts believe that it won’t be long before it bounces back to a steady recovery.


Are you flying anytime soon, or planning any trips? Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments below!