Commercial air travel in March increased to a level equivalent to 88 percent of the passenger kilometers recorded in March 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic caused dramatic reductions in air travel, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says.
IATA issued its report on May 4, one day before the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) said that COVID-19 “no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern” but instead is “an established and ongoing health issue.”
Plans call for a review committee to develop recommendations for the long-term management of the pandemic.
The WHO International Health Regulations Emergency Committee said the agency’s actions were based on the continuing decrease in deaths and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 and high levels of immunity to the virus that causes the disease.
“While acknowledging the remaining uncertainties posed by potential evolution of [the virus], they [committee …
