Gulf aviation giant Emirates has predicted it would take at least 18 months for travel demand to return to “a semblance of normality”, despite reporting bumper pre-pandemic profits, AFP reported.

Emirates Group chief Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum said the airline had performed strongly in the first 11 months of the fiscal year.

“However, from mid-February things changed rapidly as the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the world,” he said in a statement.

“We expect it will take 18 months at least, before travel demand returns to a semblance of normality."

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