The International Air Transport Association, which brings together 290 companies around the world, does not foresee a return in traffic comparable to 2019 before 2024.
Planes have been virtually grounded by restrictions to curb the pandemic.
KEYSTONE
Commercial flight traffic in Europe is expected to drop by around 60% this year compared to 2019, with a very uncertain recovery due to traffic restrictions still in place to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, worried Thursday. International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Although traffic in Europe has increased in recent months since its low point in April, it “remains more than 50% lower compared to the same period last year”, said the organization which brings together 290 airlines around the world.
In the short term, the recovery in Europe remains “very uncertain in view of a new wave of the pandemic and the even greater global economic impact it could have”, estimates the association.
IATA estimates that “more than 7 million” jobs related to aviation, including the tourism sector, are threatened in Europe, an estimate revised upwards of one million compared to June.
In France, Great Britain and Germany, the fall in traffic in 2020 is estimated at 65%. In Spain and Italy 63%. The most affected European country is expected to be Norway with an expected fall of 79%.
IATA estimates for 2020 at 419 billion dollars the shortfall at the global level for the sector, one of the most affected by the pandemic which grounded almost the entire world fleet at the height of the crisis . It does not expect traffic to return to 2019 levels before 2024.
–
