Eurocontrol estimates European air traffic to recover gradually in 2022.

In December, 2021, Airline traffic averaged 78 percent for pre-COVID level. Although the complete jet demand recovery is not expected till 2023.

According to the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol), airline traffic in Europe is likely to recover to 70-90 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2022, which is hardly changed from recent levels as travel restrictions due to pandemic continue to hamper the sector. Last year, the introduction of COVID-19 vaccination certificates .

Aided a prolonged partial traffic recovery in European airline traffic, which began at 64 percent of 2019 levels in January and has been generally consistent at over 70 percent since the summer.

Eurocontrol said in a note dated January 1 that airline traffic was 22 percent below 2019 levels in December, 2021. Travel restrictions caused by Omicron that confined flights to 75 percent in the first half of December, but reduced in the second half by 81 percent due to the holiday period, according to Eurocontrol. As countries ramp up booster programmes and producers attempt to tweak vaccines to battle improved omicron, the challenge for the first months of 2022 will be to stay close to the base scenario; progress on both will enable a steady lifting of travel restrictions.

As per Eurocontrol estimations, European airlines will lose 18.5 billion euros in 2021, with 1.4 billion-1.5 billion fewer customers and the major airline firms operating 30 percent - 64 percent fewer flights. According to Eurocontrol data, the seven-day moving average of European flight traffic fell to 79.6 percent of 2019 traffic levels in the week ending January 3, 2022, down from 85.1 percent the week before. On December 23, 2021, as individuals flew home for Christmas, the pandemic peaked at 92.3 percent. S&P Global Platts Analytics predicts only a minimal improvement in European jet fuel demand in the first half of 2022 compared to 2019, with demand remaining one of the most susceptible segments of European refined product markets.