https://www.engineeringnews.co.za
Africa|Aviation|Business|Charter|transport|Operations
Africa|Aviation|Business|Charter|transport|Operations
africa|aviation|business|charter|transport|operations

April saw almost total collapse in air travel demand, but early signs of recovery appearing

19th June 2020

By: Rebecca Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

Font size: - +

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has reported that it has detected signs of a recovery in air passenger demand, following a gigantic collapse in April. Air passenger demand during April was 94.3% lower than in April 2019, a fall never before seen in this statistical series since Iata (the representative body of the global airline industry) initiated it in 1990. This collapse was due to the almost total halting of domestic and international air traffic around the world, imposed by governments trying to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

“April was a disaster for aviation as air travel almost entirely stopped,” highlighted Iata director-general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac. “But April may also represent the nadir of the crisis. Flight numbers are increasing.”

This conclusion was based on the fact that, between April 21 (the bottom of the crisis, assuming there is not a global second wave of Covid-19) and May 27, the number of daily flights increased by 30%. This was off a very low base, and composed mainly of domestic operations, but it did suggest that aviation had begun a probably long process of recovery and restoration of air connectivity.

“Countries are beginning to lift mobility restrictions,” he pointed out. “And business confidence is showing improvement in key markets such as China, Germany and the US. These are positive signs as we start to rebuild the industry from a standstill. The initial green shoots will take time – possibly years – to mature.”

The region which saw the deepest year-on-year fall in international air traffic in April was Africa, where the collapse came to 98.3%. Second worst was Europe, with 98.1%, followed by the Middle East (97.3%), North America (96.6%), Latin America (96%) and the Asia-Pacific (88.5%).

“For aviation, April was our cruellest month,” he said. “Governments had to take drastic action to slow the pandemic. But that has come with the economic cost of a traumatic global recession. Airlines will be key to the economic recovery. It is vital that the aviation industry is ready with biosafety measures that passengers and air transport workers have confidence in.”

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (a specialised agency of the United Nations) had drawn up global guidelines for biosafety in civil aviation. “We fully support its recommendations and look forward to working with governments for a well-coordinated implementation,” he assured. “The world cannot afford to delay.”

Regarding air cargo, Iata separately reported that global demand in April suffered the greatest year-on-year fall ever recorded. Measured in cargo metric ton kilometres (CTKs), demand in that month was 27.7% down on that during April last year. When considering only international air cargo, the drop was 29.5%.

But air cargo capacity fell even more dramatically. In terms of available CTKs, global air cargo capacity in April was 42% down on that in April 2019. Regarding international operations, the fall was lightly less – 40.9%. This drop was due to the loss of the belly cargo carrying capacity provided by airliners. In fact, airliner belly cargo capacity on international routes in April collapsed by 75% year-on-year.

Of Iata’s regions, the one that suffered the worst decline in CTKs was Latin America, with a drop of 43.7%. The region with the least severe decline was North America, where cargo demand fell by 11.5%. Africa had the second-least decline, with a 21.7% reduction in demand. For Asia-Pacific, the drop was 31%, for Europe it was 33.7% and for the Middle East it came to 36.3%.

On the other hand, increased use of freighter aircraft increased capacity by 15% during April, which somewhat offset the decline in airliner belly cargo capacity. And the cargo load factor increased by 11.5 percentage points, which was the largest such increase yet recorded. This suggested that there was a significant air cargo demand which could not be satisfied because of the lack of airliner belly cargo capacity, due to the halting of most passenger flights.

“There is a severe capacity crunch in air cargo,” warned De Juniac. “Demand fell by 27.7% compared with April 2019. But capacity was down 42% because of the sharp cuts in passenger operations which also carry cargo. The result is damaging global supply chains with longer shipping times and higher costs. Airlines are deploying as much capacity as possible, including special charter operations and the temporary use of passenger cabins for cargo.”

“Governments need to continue to ensure that vital supply lines remain open and efficient,” he stressed. “While many have responded with speed and clarity to facilitate the movement of cargo, government red tape – particularly in Africa and Latin America – is preventing the industry from flexibly deploying aircraft to meet the demands of the pandemic and the global economy.”

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Comments

Latest Multimedia

Magazine video image
Magazine round up | 29 March 2024
Updated 20 minutes ago

Showroom

Environmental Assurance (Pty) Ltd.
Environmental Assurance (Pty) Ltd.

ENVASS is a customer and solutions-driven environmental consultancy with established divisions, serviced by highly qualified and experienced...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
John Thompson
John Thompson

John Thompson, the leader in energy and environmental solutions through value engineering and innovation, provides the following: design, engineer,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.379 0.437s - 159pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now