The largest drop in passenger traffic was recorded in the history of the aviation sector

IATA considers 2020 a disastrous year for air transport

Travel has fallen sharply with the advent of the holiday season.

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Yesterday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed the passenger traffic results for 2020, which showed a decrease in demand (measured based on revenue per passenger per kilometer) by 65.9%, compared to its annual rate in 2019, which is the largest decrease in passenger traffic in The history of the aviation sector, while future flight bookings have witnessed a sharp decline since the end of December 2020. The International Federation described 2020 as “a catastrophic year in every sense of the word.”

According to IATA, global passenger demand decreased by 75.6% in 2020 from its 2019 average, while operating capacity (measured by the number of available seats per kilometer) decreased by 68.1%.

Domestic demand decreased by 48.8% compared to 2019. Operating capacity decreased by 35.7%.

Also, future flight bookings decreased during January 2021 by 70%, compared to last year, which caused additional pressure in the state of financial liquidity for airlines, with possible effects in the expected timing of the start of the recovery.

The basic forecast issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) indicates an improvement in demand by 50.4% during 2021, compared to last year, which helps the sector reach a performance equivalent to 50.6% of its levels in 2019. The union stated that although these expectations remain unchanged, The sector faces the risk of a sharp downturn in the event of the continuation of the strict restrictions imposed on travel, with the aim of confronting new strains of the Corona virus.

In such a scenario, demand could improve by only 13%, compared to 2020, which is equivalent to 38% of sector levels in 2019.

“2020 was a catastrophic year in every sense of the word,” said the Director-General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association, Alexander de Juniac. The holiday season arrives at the end of the year, as a result of tightening travel restrictions imposed to counter the spread of (Covid-19), and new virus mutations.

Air freight records worst order rates

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed data on global air freight markets, which showed a 10.6% decline in air freight demand in 2020 compared to 2019. This percentage is the largest annual decline in demand since the union began monitoring the performance of the shipping sector in the year 1990, surpassing the decline in international merchandise trade, which reached 6%.

According to IATA, airlines in the Middle East recorded a decrease in demand by 9.5% during 2020, compared to 2019, in addition to a decrease in capacity by 20.9%.

After a slight decline in November, regional airlines recorded a good performance in December 2020, achieving an increase in global demand of 2.3%, with cargo capacity in the region decreasing by 18.2%.

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