India News | Global Air Passenger Traffic Falls by 79.8 Per Cent in July: IATA
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Global air passenger traffic was 79.8 per cent less in July this year compared to the corresponding period a year ago, airlines body IATA said on Tuesday.
New Delhi, Sep 1 (PTI) Global air passenger traffic was 79.8 per cent less in July this year compared to the corresponding period a year ago, airlines body IATA said on Tuesday.
"This was somewhat better than the 86.6% year-over-year decline recorded in June, primarily driven by domestic markets, most notably Russia and China," the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement.
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Passenger traffic is measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs, which is calculated by multiplying the number of passengers in a flight to the distance travelled by the flight.
“The crisis in demand continued with little respite in July. With essentially four in five air travelers staying home, the industry remains largely paralyzed," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA's Director General and CEO.
The IATA represents some 290 airlines comprising 82 per cent of global air traffic.
De Juniac said, "Governments reopening and then closing borders or removing and then re-imposing quarantines does not give many consumers confidence to make travel plans, nor airlines to rebuild schedules."
Scheduled domestic passenger flights resumed in India on May 25 this year after a gap of two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, airlines are allowed to operate only up to 45 per cent of their pre-COVID domestic flights.
Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 this year due to the pandemic. However, special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble pacts formed with various countries since July.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)