While Q1 of this year will be, in all but a very few areas disappointing to say the least, the December record for international air passengers offers real encouragement for the subsequent quarters.
Just how challenging the short-term has become is underlined by the latest policy announcement from Ryanair.
As the world’s largest international airline it is as good a bell-weather as any and it now intends that from the end of January there will be few if any flights available in or out of the UK and Ireland.
The company explains that it will hold to this pattern until the lifting of governmental travel restrictions.