International Air Travel Demand Down 88.8% in September, Says IATA
CEO says industry has ‘hit a wall’ because of quarantine policies >>
by: Harvey Chipkin
Passenger demand for international air travel plunged 88.8% in September compared with the same month in 2019, according to the latest report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Total demand was 72.8% below September 2019 levels (only slightly improved over the 75.2% year-to-year decline recorded in August). Capacity overall was down 63% compared with a year ago, and load factor fell 21.8 percentage points to 60.1%. Domestic demand in September was down 43.3% compared with the previous year, improved from a 50.7% decline in August. Compared with 2019, domestic capacity fell 33.3%, and the load factor dropped 12.4 percentage points to 69.9%. Alexandre de Juniac, CEO, said, “We have hit a wall in the industry’s recovery.” He said a resurgence in COVID-19 outbreaks – particularly in Europe and the US — combined with governments’ reliance on “the blunt instrument of quarantine in the absence of globally aligned testing regimes” — has halted momentum toward reopening borders to travel.
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