AIR TRAFFIC AND THE AVIATION INDUSTRY DURING COVID-19: CONSEQUENCES OF THE PANDEMIC
Keywords:
aviation sector, crisis, passengers, vaccines, government interventions, air transportationAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unparalleled disruption in the aviation industry, marking an unprecedented reduction in flight numbers from March to May 2020. Since then, the aviation sector has been grappling with the challenges posed by this crisis, highlighting its significant vulnerability to external shocks. Despite encountering previous aviation crises, the impact of COVID-19 stands out as unprecedented in modern aviation history. While there was a modest recovery in global passenger traffic in 2021, with 2.3 billion passengers recorded, representing a 49 percent decrease from pre-pandemic levels in 2019, this improvement was compared to the substantial 60 percent decline observed in 2020. However, global airline seat capacity surged by 20 percent during this period, surpassing the growth in passenger demand. As a result, the overall passenger load factor dropped to 68 percent in 2021, down from 82 percent in 2019. Airlines worldwide faced significant losses, totaling $324 billion in 2021, following losses of $372 billion in 2020. The aviation industry has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessing unprecedented declines in passenger volume and airline revenue. In response to the pandemic, governments implemented various non-pharmaceutical measures to control local outbreaks in the early stages, with air transportation identified as a significant contributor to the spread of COVID-19. This led to the imposition of flight bans by countries and regions during the initial waves of the pandemic, exacerbating the challenges faced by the aviation sector..
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