Global air carriers getting ready to fly into an uncertain future

The world’s air carriers are preparing their cabins for take-off. 

After 18 months in which passenger planes were laid up in desert boneyards, converted into makeshift medical-supplies freighters, and even flown on short return hops just to maintain their pilots’ certifications, the machinery of the global aviation industry is gradually creaking back into life. 

Emirates, the biggest carrier by international traffic, is planning to hire 6,000 people over the coming six months and will have restored 70% of its pre-pandemic capacity by the end of the year. London’s Heathrow Airport Tuesday reported its first quarter of passenger growth since 2019. Sales from