Paris (AFP)
Global passenger air transport picked up a few colors in March compared to February, thanks to increased activity on domestic flights, mainly in China, the Iata announced on Tuesday.
According to the International Air Transport Association, global traffic calculated in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) was down 67.2% compared to March 2019, with last year not being representative due to the first effects of the global Covid-19 crisis.
In February, the drop in traffic was almost three-quarters of that of 2019. This improvement brings the level of traffic back to roughly that of the last quarter of 2020, before the release of new variants led to new drastic measures travel restrictions, tempered Brian Pearce, Iata's chief economist, during a video conference.
As a result of these restrictions, international connections remain anemic, down 88% compared to March 2019. On the other hand, domestic traffic was only down by a third in March compared to 2019, whereas it was still halved in February.
"All markets except Brazil and India have improved from February 2021, with China being the main contributor," Iata said in a statement.
Regional disparities remain strong: in North America and Asia-Pacific, traffic showed respective decreases of 57% and 60% compared to March 2019 while it remained at -80% in the Middle East and -82% in Europe.
"The positive momentum seen in some key domestic markets in March is an indication of the strong recovery we expect in international markets as travel restrictions are lifted," said Iata chief executive Willie Wash. in the press release.
He warns, however, about the cost of PCR tests, necessary to travel abroad, which could slow a recovery.
If fully supported in France, the average cost of a PCR test in 15 countries studied at Iata ranges from $ 90 to $ 208.
Based on the average price of a $ 200 ticket and a $ 90 departure and arrival test, a four-person trip that would previously have cost $ 1,600 is almost doubled ($ 3,040) due to the price of tests.
© 2021 AFP