After the chaos in the air transport sector during the last Summer and Christmas holidays, airplanes are now grappling with a strong demand for travel that puts their financial accounts back in the positive, after almost three years of the pandemic. Summer 2023 is upon us and will put airport and airline companies to the test, which are still impacted by personnel shortages and an organization that is only slowly returning to normal.

Take Southwest Airlines for example. Thousands of delays and cancellations registered by Christmas 2022 had become a national case, a failed stress test for the airline and a nightmare for passengers. The US Department of Transportation said just 69.1% of US domestic flights departed on time last December, compared with 75-80% the same month before the pandemic.

After a series of alarming near misses in recent months, the summer season promises to be a challenging test for pilots, air traffic controllers and others. For this reason, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), still led by an interim administrator, has issued a "safety alert": the request is to improve practices.