Asia’s fragile aviation recovery snuffed out by resurgent Covid-19 cases, Companies & Markets News & Top Stories

SINGAPORE (BLOOMBERG) – A fragile recovery in Asian aviation is being snuffed out by a resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the region, pushing back forecasts for when air travel will get back to pre-virus levels and weighing on jet fuel margins.

Chinese seat capacity on domestic and international flights has fallen more than 20 per cent from the end of September, when it almost got back to January 2020 levels, according to OAG Aviation, a flight data and analytics provider. People are being encouraged not to travel over the Lunar New Year period, which runs through early March, suggesting capacity may not rise until late this quarter.

The rapid rebound in Chinese aviation had been a rare bright spot for jet fuel, which has taken the biggest hit among oil products from the pandemic. The drop in flights is more bad news for Asian refiners that are also struggling with weakening demand…