Several planes parked at the Santiago de Chile airport due to lack of use during the pandemic. Ivan Alvarado / Reuters
Global air transport will suffer this year a net loss of 118,500 million dollars (99,500 million euros), and although its situation will improve in 2021 it is still estimated that it will close the next year in the red, with losses of 38,700 million dollars (32,000 million euros), as announced on Tuesday by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the largest employer in the sector.
The negative outlook for one of the sectors hardest hit by the covid-19 pandemic, announced at the entity's annual general meeting, worsen the forecasts issued in June, when the association predicted net losses of $ 84.3 billion ($ 70 billion). euros) by 2020 and $ 15.8 billion (13 billion euros) in 2021.
"The history books will remember the year 2020 as the worst financial year" for the sector, which "reduced its costs by 1,000 million dollars a day on average and will continue to accumulate unprecedented losses," according to the organization's technicians, who brings together 290 airlines, during its general assembly.
“The crisis has been devastating and unforgiving.
In it, the airlines have cut their costs by 45.8%, but revenues have fallen by 60.9%, and as a result the companies will lose 66 dollars (55 euros) for each passenger transported this year ”, says the CEO of IATA, Alexandre de Juniac, who will leave his position in 2021 to be replaced by the Irish Willie Walsh, until recently the chief executive of the Spanish-British group IAG, to which British Airways, Iberia and Vueling belong, among others.
“Borders must be reopened without quarantine measures so that passengers can fly again.
The companies would have to continue using their liquidity at least until the fourth quarter of 2021, there is no time to lose ”, claims de Juniac.