Airlines in Africa recorded a US $ 14 billion loss in passenger revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) reported on Friday, January 15, 2021.
According to its statistics, these companies recorded a drop of 78 million passengers and 58% of their overall capacity, compared to 2019, pushing four carriers to suspend their operations and two others to go into receivership. “The 2019 traffic volumes in Africa would not return before 2023 when the continent is expected to experience a late recovery in its financial performance,” projects the International Air Transport Association (IATA), for its part.
In its report, ICAO notes that “with border closures and travel restrictions put in place around the world, in April 2020, the total number of passengers fell by 92% compared to 2019; ie 98% for international traffic and 87% for domestic transport ”.
“After hitting the April 2020 low, passenger traffic rebounded moderately during the summer. This upward trend was short-lived, however, stagnating and then worsening in September 2020 when the second wave of infection in many regions prompted the reintroduction of restrictive measures, ”she laments.
