Global air traffic in November was down 70.3 percent year over year, virtually unchanged from October’s 70.6 percent year over year decline, according to the International Air Transport Association. November global capacity was down 58.6 percent year over year, and load factor fell 23 percentage points to 58 percent, a record low for November.
November’s crossborder traffic dropped 88.3 percent year over year, a slight drop from the 87.6 year-over-year fall in October. November capacity fell 77.4 percent year over year, and load factor dropped 38.7 percentage points to 41.5 percent. IATA attributed November’s halt in recovery to Europe’s new lockdowns.
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November domestic traffic was down 41 percent year over year, the same level as October. Domestic capacity was down 27.1 percent year over year. Load factor dropped 15.7 percentage points to 66.6 percent.
“The already tepid recovery in air travel demand came to a full stop in November. That’s because governments responded to new outbreaks with even more severe travel restrictions and quarantine measures. This is clearly inefficient,” IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said in a statement. “Such measures increase hardship for millions. Vaccines offer the long-term solution. In the meantime, testing is the best way that we see to stop the spread of the virus and start the economic recovery. How much more anguish do people need to go through—job losses, mental stress—before governments will understand that?”