Air traffic in Europe is unlikely to return to pre-COVID-19-pandemic levels until at least 2024, and possibly not until 2029, Eurocontrol says in a new forecast of likely changes in air traffic over the continent.
The forecast, released in the form of Eurocontrol’s “Five-Year Forecast 2020‒2024,” outlined three separate projections.
“Even in the most positive scenario, we do not expect a recovery to 2019 levels by 2024,” said Eamonn Brennan, director general of Eurocontrol. “There is a very real prospect that this recovery could take even longer, perhaps to as far out as 2029. This is a catastrophic picture for the aviation industry and shows clearly why it is so important for states to take consistent and coherent measures to support the aviation industry and make passengers feel safe to fly again.”
The first forecast, based on the assumption that a vaccine for COVID-19 would be widely available by the Northern Hemisphere’s summer of 2021, …
