WED 04 AUG, 2021-theGBJournal- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released the IATA World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) publication with performance figures for 2020 demonstrating the devastating effects on global air transport during that year of the COVID-19 crisis.
‘’A million jobs disappeared. And industry losses for the year totaled $126 billion. Many governments recognized aviation’s critical contributions and provided financial lifelines and other forms of support. But it was the rapid actions by airlines and the commitment of our people that saw the airline industry through the most difficult year in its history,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
Willie Walsh noted that 2020 was a year that we’d all like to forget.
‘’But analyzing the performance statistics for the year reveals an amazing story of perseverance. At the depth of the crisis in April 2020, 66% of the world’s commercial air transport fleet was grounded as governments closed borders or imposed strict quarantines.’’
8 billion passengers flew in 2020, a decrease of 60.2% compared to the 4.5 billion who flew in 2019
Industry-wide air travel demand (measured in revenue passenger-kilometers, or RPKs) dropped by 65.9% year-on-year
International passenger demand (RPKs) decreased by 75.6% compared to the year prior
Domestic air passenger demand (RPKs) dropped by 48.8% compared to 2019
Air connectivity declined by more than half in 2020 with the number of routes connecting airports falling dramatically at the outset of the crisis and was down more than 60% year-on-year in April 2020
Total industry passenger revenues fell by 69% to $189 billion in 2020, and net losses were $126.4 billion in total
The decline in air passengers transported in 2020 was the largest recorded since global RPKs started being tracked around 1950
Passenger
Systemwide, airlines carried 1.8 billion passengers on scheduled services, a decrease of 60.2% over 2019
On average, there was a $71.7 loss incurred per passenger in 2020, corresponding to net losses of $126.4 billion in total
Measured in ASKs (available seat kilometers), global airline capacity plummeted by 56.7%, with international capacity being hit the hardest with a reduction of 68.3%
Systemwide passenger load factor dropped to 65.1% in 2020, compared to 82.5% the year prior
The Middle East region suffered the largest proportion of loss for passenger traffic* with a drop of 71.5% in RPKs versus 2019, followed by Europe (-69.7%) and the Africa region (-68.5%)
China became the largest domestic market in 2020 for the first time on record, as air travel rebounded faster in their domestic market following their efforts to control COVID-19.
The regional rankings (based on total passengers carried on scheduled services by airlines registered in that region) are:
Asia-Pacific: 780.7 million passengers, a decrease of 53.4% compared to the region’s passengers in 2019
North America: 401.7 million passengers, down 60.8% over 2019
Europe: 389.9 million passengers, down 67.4% over 2019
Latin America: 123.6 million passengers, down 60.6% over 2019
Middle East: 8 million passengers, a decrease of 67.6% over 2019
Africa: 34.3 million passengers, down 65.7% over 2019
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