Coronavirus: Asia’s airports at ‘rock bottom’ as number of passengers plummets 95 per cent
- Aviation industry needs to discover ‘new normal’ for travelling, says airports council boss
- Data shows global air traffic down 80 per cent since start of the year
Asia’s airports have reached “rock bottom” almost four months into the Covid-19 pandemic, with the number of passengers at about 5 per cent of last year’s figures, the global airports’ representative has said.
Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific said new data up to mid-April from 18 of its hubs in “major aviation markets” showed a 95 per cent collapse in passenger volumes year on year.
Hong Kong International Airport was on track for a 99.5 per cent decline, according to preliminary official data.
A combination of worldwide travel restrictions, bans on non-residents, bans on stopovers, and mandatory quarantine measures for arrivals had seen people cancel trips abroad, hitting airlines and airports alike hard, tipping the industry into crisis.
“Passenger traffic in Asia-Pacific region has reached rock bottom. Airports have been forced to make difficult operational decisions including full or partial closure of terminals and runways, and reduction of frontline employees,” Stefano Baronci, director general of ACI Asia-Pacific, said.
