Global passenger traffic carried by airlines collapsed by 66% in 2020 compared to 2019, an unprecedented development under the influence of the pandemic, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) announced on Wednesday.
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This is the "
biggest shock the sector has ever experienced,
" said Brian Pearce, chief economist of the organization, during a video conference. The Iata also warned that the prospects of a recovery in 2021 were "
clouded
" by the emergence of new variants of Covid-19, without formally revising its forecasts for the year downwards.