A recently released Airports Council International (ACI) World report details the pandemic’s economic impact on the airport industry and the prospects for recovery.
According to ACI’s Advisory Bulletin, the impact of COVID-19 on the airport business shows that the global airport industry will record a reduction of more than six billion passengers by the end of the calendar year, representing a 64.2 percent global passenger traffic decline in comparison to the pre-COVID-19 forecast.
Additionally, the analysis indicated the airport industry was forecast to produce about $172 billion in 2020, but COVID-19’s impact on airport revenues will result in a reduction of $111.8 billion.
“The pandemic has resulted in a full-scale transportation crisis with the aviation brought to a virtual halt in April following lockdowns imposed in many countries in the second half of March,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. “We are now seeing some positive signs, and prospects are slightly better for recovery, but there is still a long way to go. One thing is certain; the world will be different after this pandemic.”
The ACI has offered a series of scenarios as a means of examining the potential recovery trajectory. Under the baseline scenario, domestic passenger traffic is expected to return to 2019 levels by 2023, with international passenger traffic recovery occurring one year later.
“Recent announcements of successful vaccine trials are offering hope for a sustained recovery, but vaccination campaigns will take time, and the industry needs government assistance and policy support now to lay a solid foundation for recovery,” de Oliveira said. “A consistent approach to testing should be implemented now to promote travel and do away with restrictive quarantine measures, with a coordinated and risk-based approach to combining testing and vaccination introduced going forward.”