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IATA forecasts passenger numbers to return to pre-COVID-19 levels by 2023
May 27th 2021
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Tourism Economics have published research forecasting passenger numbers will reach 52% of 2019 pre-COVID-19 levels this year, before rising to 88% in 2022. Read More » Air traffic will then exceed recorded 2019 levels by 2023. IATA director general, Willie Walsh, said there is cause for optimism about the airline industry's recovery from the pandemic as more people are being vaccinated and governments are easing travel restrictions. "We are optimistic that once those restrictions are relaxed — or indeed removed — we will see a swift bounce back in demand," Walsh told reporters, noting surges in flight bookings in markets where restrictions were eased. "The immediate challenge is to reopen borders, eliminate quarantine measures and digitally manage vaccination testing certificates," he said. The airline lobby group forecasts the pandemic will result in a long-term loss of two years of growth by 2030.
