Global passenger air travel plummeted 66% in 2020

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced full-year global passenger traffic results for 2020 showing that demand (revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) fell by 65.9 percent compared to the full year of 2019, by far the sharpest traffic decline in aviation history, Report informs, referring to the IATA website.

Furthermore, forward bookings have been falling sharply since late December.

International passenger demand in 2020 was 75.6 percent below 2019 levels. Capacity (measured in available seat kilometers or ASKs) declined 68.1 percent, and load factor fell 19.2 percentage points to 62.8 percent.

According to IATA estimates, in 2020, the volume of international passenger air transportation fell by 75.6 percent, and while domestic air transportation saw a 48.8 percent decrease in annual terms. At the same time, in December 2020, international traffic dropped by 85.3 percent, and domestic air transportation fell by 42.9 percent. The overall decline amounted to 69.7 percent in December.

Asia-Pacific airlines’ full-year traffic plunged 80.3 percent in 2020 compared to 2019, which was the deepest decline for any region. Latin American airlines had a 71.8 percent full-year traffic decline compared to 2019, making it the best performing region after Africa.

European carriers saw a 73.7 percent traffic decline in 2020 versus 2019. African airlines reported a 69.8 percent drop in air traffic last year compared to 2019, which was the best performance among regions. North American airlines’ full-year traffic fell 75.4 percent compared to 2019. Middle Eastern airlines’ annual passenger demand in 2020 was 72.9 percent below 2019.