(ANSA) - ROME, DECEMBER 10 - In 2021, the total number of passengers who traveled by air in the EU was 373 million, an increase of 35% compared to 2020, after the sharp drop of 73% (compared to 2019) due to restrictions due to the pandemic.
Eurostat communicates it.
Looking at the pre-pandemic year of 2019, when the total number of passengers reached 1.04 billion people, the number of passengers in air transport decreased by 64%, indicating that recovery is still far away.
Iata is optimistic: according to forecasts, in 2023 the number of passengers will exceed the four billion mark for the first time since 2019, with 4.2 billion travelers expected to fly.
Data show that in 2021 all Member States except Finland (-16%) recorded an increase in the number of air passengers compared to 2020.
These increases vary between Member States, from +10% in Ireland, +16% % in Sweden and +17% in Latvia to +86% in Greece, +105% in Cyprus and +129% in Croatia.
Italy ranks sixth with an above-average increase of around 45%.
(HANDLE).