Global air traffic continued to fall in February

ISTANBUL

A year into the coronavirus pandemic, global air passenger traffic continued to fall, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced on Wednesday.

Due to pandemic measures and concerns, international passenger demand in February was 88.7% below February 2019, the association said in a press release.

To show a normal demand pattern, the association compared figures versus the pre-pandemic period.

"February showed no indication of a recovery in demand for international air travel," said Willie Walsh, the group’s director general,.

On the other hand, it said, global air cargo traffic demand was up 9% this February versus February 2019.

It added: "February demand also showed strong month-on-month growth over January 2021 levels.

"Volumes have now returned to 2018 levels seen prior to the US-China trade war."

Walsh said: "Air cargo demand is not just recovering from the COVID-19 crisis, it is growing."​​​​​​​