The Covid-19 epidemic could cause a total shortfall of nearly 30 billion euros for airlines in 2020, including 27.8 billion for those operating in the Asia-Pacific region, estimated on Thursday International Air Transport Association (Iata).
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Due to restrictions related to the coronavirus responsible for the epidemic, the drop in the number of passengers compared to 2019 could be 8.2% in 2020 in the Asia-Pacific region. This scenario " would result in a shortfall of $ 27.8 billion in 2020 for carriers in the region, " said Iata in a statement.
Adding the impact of weak demand on companies in the rest of the world, estimated at 1.5 billion dollars, the overall shortfall could reach 29.3 billion, specifies the organization, which evokes " a difficult period for the global airline industry . "
The international association fears that the coronavirus epidemic will cause an overall drop in the number of air reservations worldwide in 2020, which would be a first since the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) crisis in 2003. " We estimate that the global traffic will be reduced by 4.7% by the virus, which could more than erase the growth that we had previously forecast ", underlines the general manager of Iata, Alexandre de Juniac, quoted in the press release.
This situation " will have a financial impact on airlines ", which will be " severe " for those who are " particularly exposed to the Chinese market ", adds Alexandre de Juniac, according to whom governments have an " important role to play " in this crisis .
Several airlines, including Air France, British Airways, Air Canada, Lufthansa and Delta, have suspended their flights to mainland China. Air France-KLM also estimated Thursday between 150 and 200 million euros the shortfall due to the suspension of the group's flights to China from February to April.
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The Covid-19 epidemic, part of the Wuhan region (Hubei, central China), has killed more than 2,100 people since its appearance, including eight outside mainland China and more than 74,500 people infected.
