As a result of the pandemic and quarantine measures, the number of airline passengers decreased by 60 percent by 2020, and ICAO, the United Nations Civil Aviation Organisation (UN), announced on Friday.

Due to the travel restrictions in effect in many countries since the outbreak of the COVID, last year, the airlines carried some 1.8 billion passengers, reducing the civil aviation industry to the level of 2003. In 2019, the number of passengers was 4.5 billion, according to ICAO. In addition, the fall in demand will “continue and perhaps even accelerate in the current quarter,” warns the organization.

In percentage terms, the number of domestic flights decreased by half in 2020. International connections decreased by almost three-quarters (74 per cent). All in all, that means a loss of USD 370 billion for the companies. Airports and air navigation service providers also suffered losses. According to ICAO, these are USD 115 billion and USD 13 billion respectively.

The current situation, according to the UN Civil Aviation Organisation, threatens the financial viability of the industry and also threatens the loss of millions of jobs around the world. The recovery of industry depends on the success of the vaccination campaigns, which have now begun in several rich countries.