Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on commercial air transport

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the airline industry due to travel restrictions and a decimation in demand among travelers.

Significant reductions in passenger numbers have resulted in flights being cancelled or planes flying empty between airports, which in turn massively reduced revenues for airlines and forced many airlines to lay off employees or declare bankruptcy. Some have attempted to avoid refunding cancelled trips to diminish their losses. Airliner manufacturers and airport operators have also laid off employees.

Only several months into the pandemic, the crisis was already the worst in the aviation industry's history, according to statements made in early 2020 by Airbus' Guillaume Faury,^[1] EasyJet's Johan Lundgren,^[2] United Airlines' Oscar Munoz,^[3] Qantas' Alan Joyce,^[4] and media outlets: the Financial Times,^[5] The New York Times,^[6] and The Independent.^[7]

^ Jolly, Jasper (29 April 2020). "Airlines may not recover from Covid-19 crisis for five years, says Airbus". The Guardian. We are now in the midst of the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known
^ "Airlines increase job cuts as coronavirus pandemic crushes air travel". Boston Herald. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020. This is still the worst crisis that this industry has ever been faced with [...]
^ Assis, Claudia (30 April 2020). "United Airlines says coronavirus pandemic is worst crisis 'in the history of aviation'". MarketWatch. the most disruptive crisis in the history of aviation
^ "Virus worst crisis to hit aviation: Joyce". ABC's 7.30 program. 19 March 2020 – via The Canberra Times. This is the worst crisis the aviation industry has gone through
^ Hollinger, Peggy (20 April 2020). "How coronavirus brought aerospace down to earth". Financial Times. [...] cancel orders to survive the worst crisis in aviation history.
^ "Flight Attendants and Pilots Ask, 'Is It OK to Keep Working?'". The New York Times. 12 April 2020. [...] the current crisis, which is seen by many as the worst in the history of aviation.
^ "British Airways furloughs 36,000 staff in worst-ever crisis". The Independent. 2 April 2020.

[1] Jolly, Jasper (29 April 2020). "Airlines may not recover from Covid-19 crisis for five years, says Airbus". The Guardian. We are now in the midst of the gravest crisis the aerospace industry has ever known

[2] "Airlines increase job cuts as coronavirus pandemic crushes air travel". Boston Herald. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020. This is still the worst crisis that this industry has ever been faced with [...]

[3] Assis, Claudia (30 April 2020). "United Airlines says coronavirus pandemic is worst crisis 'in the history of aviation'". MarketWatch. the most disruptive crisis in the history of aviation

[4] "Virus worst crisis to hit aviation: Joyce". ABC's 7.30 program. 19 March 2020 – via The Canberra Times. This is the worst crisis the aviation industry has gone through

[5] Hollinger, Peggy (20 April 2020). "How coronavirus brought aerospace down to earth". Financial Times. [...] cancel orders to survive the worst crisis in aviation history.

[6] "Flight Attendants and Pilots Ask, 'Is It OK to Keep Working?'". The New York Times. 12 April 2020. [...] the current crisis, which is seen by many as the worst in the history of aviation.

[7] "British Airways furloughs 36,000 staff in worst-ever crisis". The Independent. 2 April 2020.

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