An Airports Council International (ACI) World report indicates global passenger traffic declined by 55.9 percent year-over-year by the end of March in the wake of the developing COVID-19 pandemic.
“The second week of March was a turning point for the reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic as national governments implemented strict confinement measures which brought the industry to a virtual halt,” ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said. “While the crisis’s impact on passenger traffic was mostly in the Asia-Pacific in February, March figures showed its spread across the world, affecting both domestic and international markets.”
Gittens said global freight volumes have not been affected to the same extent as passenger traffic.
“The need to move time-sensitive shipments and vital supplies, including urgent medical supplies and goods to support the global economy, helped the freight industry avoid the level of declines in demand experienced by the passenger traffic segment,” she said.
ACI said the organization collects and analyzes data from a sample of airports providing regular reports on monthly passenger and air freight statistics, forming part of the world’s most comprehensive source for airport data.
Per the ACI’s analysis, global international and domestic markets posted unprecedented declines, falling by 62.4 percent and 50.6 percent, respectively, noting the 12-month rolling average for the international segment was recorded at minus 2.6 percent and the domestic segment at minus 3.4 percent.