IATA’s November figures show that the recovery in demand for passenger flights is freezing after promising growth in the Northern Hemisphere over the summer. Weakening is not only in international flights but also in domestic flights, which have so far brought light to the picture.

The data shows that there will most likely not be any significant improvement in passenger volumes in the near-term. Ticket purchases had been rising modestly towards the third week of December as
people planned to visit friends and relatives over the holiday season. However, the rise in bookings was reversed following December 23rd.

Developments in ticket bookings indicate that the start of 2021 will not be easy for airlines. Positive vaccine news has not changed travelers’ intentions.

The increase in the number of infections in several key markets and travel restrictions have slowed recovery as a result.

The WHO said that in the last week of December, 4.1 million people worldwide tested positive for Covid-19. The emergence of new, more aggressive strains of the virus (in Britain and South Africa) has exacerbated the crisis and weighed on the already weak demand for passenger flights in major markets, including the UK.

Important information:

• Britain has introduced a mandatory quarantine of 10 days for all arrivals in the country – by air, land, and sea, who do not come on the so-called. green corridors agreed in a bilateral agreement and calls for negative tests.
• Finland will test all arrivals at Helsinki Airport.
• Riga Airport has opened a new testing center.
• Varna Airport expects to open a laboratory for PCR and rapid tests within days.