Airline Industry Statistics Confirm 2020 Was Worst Year on Record

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE03 August 2021No: 55

Montreal – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released the IATA World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) publication with performance figures for 2020 demonstrating the devastating effects on global air transport during that year of the COVID-19 crisis:
1.8 billion passengers flew in 2020, a decrease of 60.2% compared to the 4.5 billion who flew in 2019Industry-wide air travel demand (measured in revenue passenger-kilometers, or RPKs) dropped by 65.9% year-on-yearInternational passenger demand (RPKs) decreased by 75.6% compared to the year priorDomestic air passenger demand (RPKs) dropped by 48.8% compared to 2019Air connectivity declined by more than half in 2020 with the number of routes connecting airports falling dramatically at the outset of the crisis and was down more than 60% year-on-year in April 2020Total industry passenger revenues fell by 69% to $189 billion in 2020, and net losses were $126.4 billion in totalThe decline in air passengers transported in 2020 was the largest recorded since global RPKs started being tracked around 1950
“2020 was a year that we’d all like to forget. But analyzing the performance statistics for the year reveals an amazing story of perseverance. At the depth of the crisis in April 2020, 66% of the world’s commercial air transport fleet was grounded as governments closed borders or imposed strict quarantines. A million jobs disappeared. And industry losses for the year totaled $126 billion. Many governments recognized aviation’s critical contributions and provided financial lifelines and other forms of support. But it was the rapid actions by airlines and the commitment of our people that saw the airline industry through the most difficult year in its history,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Key 2020 airline performance figures from WATS:

PassengerSystemwide, airlines carried 1.8 billion passengers on scheduled services, a decrease of 60.2% over 2019On average, there was a $71.7 loss incurred per passenger in 2020, corresponding to net losses of $126.4 billion in totalMeasured in ASKs (available seat kilometers), global airline capacity plummeted by 56.7%, with international capacity being hit the hardest with a reduction of 68.3%Systemwide passenger load factor dropped to 65.1% in 2020, compared to 82.5% the year priorThe Middle East region suffered the largest proportion of loss for passenger traffic* with a drop of 71.5% in RPKs versus 2019, followed by Europe (-69.7%) and the Africa region (-68.5%)China became the largest domestic market in 2020 for the first time on record, as air travel rebounded faster in their domestic market following their efforts to control COVID-19The regional rankings (based on total passengers carried on scheduled services by airlines registered in that region) are:
Asia-Pacific: 780.7 million passengers, a decrease of 53.4% compared to the region’s passengers in 2019North America: 401.7 million passengers, down 60.8% over 2019Europe: 389.9 million passengers, down 67.4% over 2019Latin America: 123.6 million passengers, down 60.6% over 2019Middle East: 76.8 million passengers, a decrease of 67.6% over 2019Africa: 34.3 million passengers, down 65.7% over 2019
The top five airlines ranked by total scheduled passenger kilometers flown, were:1American Airlines(124 billion)2China Southern Airlines(110.7 billion)3Delta Air Lines(106.5 billion)4United Airlines(100.2 billion)5China Eastern Airlines(88.7 billion) The top five route areas** by passenger demand (RPKs), with the largest drop being seen in routes within the Far East:1Within Europe(290.3 million, down 70.7% from 2019)2Europe – North America (122.9 million, decreased 80.4% from 2019)3Within Far East (117.3 million, a decrease of 84.1% from 2019)4Europe – Far East (115.3 million, a decrease of 79% from 2019)5Middle East – Far East (104 million, down 73.6% from 2019) The top five domestic passenger airport-pairs were all in Asia and outperformed top international routes as domestic recovery returned faster, particularly in China:1Jeju – Seoul Gimpo (10.2 million, up 35.1% over 2019)2Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City (5.9 million, an increase of 54.3% from 2019)3Shanghai-Hongqiao – Shenzhen(3.7 million, up 43.4% from 2019)4Beijing-Capital – Shanghai-Hongqiao (3.6 million, increased by 11.8% from 2019)5Guangzhou – Shanghai-Hongqiao(3.5 million, up 41.2% from 2019) The top five nationalities*** traveling by air (international) were:1United States(45.7 million, or 9.7% of all passengers)2United Kingdom(40.8 million, or 8.6% of all passengers)3Germany (30.8 million, or 6.5% of all passengers)4France (23.3 million, or 4.9% of all passengers)5India (17.4 million, or 3.7% of all passengers)
CargoAir freight was the bright spot in air transport for 2020, as the market adapted to keep goods moving—including vaccines, personal protective equipment (PPE) and vital medical supplies—despite the massive drop in capacity from the bellies of passenger aircraft.Industry-wide available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs) fell 21.4% year-on-year in 2020This led to a capacity crunch, with the industry-wide cargo load factor up 7.0 percentage points to 53.8%. This is the highest value in the IATA series started in 1990.At the end of the year, industry-wide cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs) had returned close to pre-crisis values. However, the yearly decline in cargo demand (CTKs) was still the largest since the Global Financial Crisis in 2009, at a sizeable 9.7% year-on-year in 2020.
The top five airlines ranked by scheduled cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs) flown were:1Federal Express(19.7 billion)2United Parcel Service (14.4 billion)3Qatar Airways (13.7 billion)4Emirates (9.6 billion)5Cathay Pacific Airways (8.1 billion)
Airline AlliancesStar Alliance maintained its position as the largest airline alliance in 2020 with 18.7% of total scheduled traffic (in RPKs), followed by SkyTeam (16.3%) and oneworld (12.7%)
A preview of the World Air Transport Statistics can be downloaded here. You can also purchase the complete set of WATS statistics which includes further figures and analysis.

For more information, please contact:
Talita Mônaco
+55 11 3054-3317tmonaco@llorenteycuenca.com
Naira Feldmann+55 11 3060-3390nfeldmann@llorenteycuenca.com
Notes for Editors* Air transport traffic (measured by revenue passenger kilometers) grouped by geographical region corresponding to the airline’s region of domicile.** Traffic is counted on an on–flight origin–destination basis. This means that, for example, a passenger traveling from Canada to Singapore via Japan will be included under Far East–North America, as well as under Within Far East.IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents some 290 airlines comprising 82% of global air traffic.You can follow us at twitter.com/iata for announcements, policy positions, and other useful industry information.COVID-19 media kit.Travel Pass news and media kit.

Você pode gostar

PARADOR CASA DA MONTANHA APRESENTA A REVOLUÇÃO DA CULINÁRIA FARROUPILHA

Dia dos Pais: Vila Galé prepara almoço português exclusivo

Sebrae Campinas abre inscrições para o Programa de Desenvolvimento de Startups Digitais – STARTUP SP