Passenger air traffic, severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, collapsed 14.1% worldwide in February, compared with the previous year, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) announced on Thursday.
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" This is the largest drop in traffic since September 11, reflecting the collapse of domestic travel to China and the sharp drop in international demand to and from the Asia-Pacific region, due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus and travel restrictions imposed by governments, "Iata said in a statement.
The new coronavirus, reported in late December by Chinese authorities to the World Health Organization (WHO), has officially infected almost a million people and has claimed more than 48,000 lives so far worldwide.
In the absence of a vaccine or treatment, to curb the spread of the pandemic, containment remains the most effective means of control. Half of the world's population is thus forced to stay at home or forced to do so, while many planes are grounded due to traffic restrictions linked to the coronavirus.
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The 14.1% drop in global passenger traffic (international and national) is " severe, but for carriers in the Asia-Pacific region, the drop was 41%. And it is only getting worse, "said Iata director general Alexandre de Juniac, quoted in the press release. " It is without a doubt the biggest crisis the sector has ever known, " he insisted.
