Don’t remind us! Passenger count horrible
Airports Council International
(ACI) World data has
revealed that global passenger
traffic declined by -91.3%
year-over-year in May as a result
of the ongoing COVID-19
pandemic.
This is slightly above the
worst decline of global passenger
numbers in the history of
the aviation industry of -94.4%
which was recorded the previous
month in April.
Global passenger traffic
continued its dramatic decline,
falling more than 10 percentage
points compared to
the prior month to -52.5% for
the first five months of 2020.
The 12-month rolling average
for the global industry
is also continuing with the
downward trend and recorded
-19.3% by the end of May.
As in previous months, the
effect of the COVID-19 pandemic
on the air freight industry
was not as significant
in May when compared to
the passenger market. Global
air freight volumes posted
slightly better results in May
compared to April with a decline
of -17.9% compared to
May 2019 resulting in a -12.8%
drop for the first five months
16 AIRPORT VOICE, AUGUST 2020
of 2020. The global 12-month
rolling average continued to
move further into negative
territory at -6.7% by the end of
the month.
“After a devastating month
of April for the aviation industry
when global air travel
came to a virtual halt, data for
May revealed a tiny sign of a
recovery driven by the domestic
markets in China and the
United States,” ACI World Director
General Luis Felipe de
Oliveira said.
“In the Asia-Pacific and
North American regions, there
were signs for optimism with
the data showing some early
improvement in domestic passenger
traffic, but international
traffic continued to be practically
non-existent in May.
“As in previous months,
global air freight volumes
have not been affected to the
same extent as passenger traffic
and showed signs of a slight
upward curve but, with most
of the passenger fleet still
grounded, capacity was dramatically
reduced.
“Airports are important
engines of growth and the recovery
of this sector will be a
significant driver of the global
economic recovery. but this
will only be sustained if passengers,
staff, and the public
have confidence in air travel.
“ACI’s recently launched
Airport Health Accreditation
programme will help to
restore this passenger confidence,
assisting airports by
assessing new health measures
and procedures introduced
as a result of the COVID
19 pandemic.”
ACI collects and analyses
data from a significant sample
of airports that provide
regular reports on monthly
passenger and air freight statistics,
forming part of the
world’s most comprehensive
source for airport data.
Passenger traffic
Besides North America
and Asia-Pacific, all other
regional markets posted declines
higher than -95% of
their global passenger traffic.
The start of a slow recovery
of the domestic traffic
helped North America and
Asia-Pacific to post slightly
better figures with decreases
of -90.3% and -82.5% respectively.
International passenger
traffic continues to
be virtually halted with all
regions recording decline
above -98% for a second consecutive
month.
Global international and
domestic markets posted unprecedented
declines for a second
month in a row, falling
by -98.6% and -85.3%, respectively.
The 12-month rolling
average for the international
segment was recorded at
-20.2% and the domestic segment
at -18.5%.
Domestic passenger markets
remain severely affected
by the ongoing crisis,
but North America and
Asia-Pacific have shown
signs of a slow recovery.
Decline are however still
significant. North America
posting a -88.8% decline
while Asia Pacific recorded
a -73.2% drop in domestic
passengers. Other regions
all recorded declines above
-90% in May.
JetBlue for good Issues annual report
In late July, JetBlue released
its 2018-2019 Social
Impact Report, as well as its
abbreviated 2019 Environmental
Social Governance
(ESG) Report.
The annual reports outline
the JetBlue For Good
pillars – community, youth
and education and the environment.
The social impact
report focuses on how and
where JetBlue crewmembers
volunteered for one million
hours of caring and the airline’s
philanthropic efforts,
while the ESG report identifies
key sustainability factors
that affect the airline’s
business and financial performance.
Centered around
volunteerism and service,
JetBlue For Good focuses on
the areas that are most important
to the airline’s customers
and crewmembers–Community,
Youth/Education and
the Environment. JetBlue’s
core programs and partnerships
directly impact the areas
where its customers and
crewmembers live and work
by enhancing education and
providing access to those
who are traditionally underserved.
Signature programs
include the award-winning
Soar with Reading initiative,
which has provided more
than $3.75 million worth of
books to kids who need them
most and Blue Horizons For
Autism, which helps introduce
air travel in a realistic
environment to families and
children affected by autism.
Join the #JetBlueForGood
conversation on Twitter, Instagram
and Facebook, check
for regular updates, and get
involved.
“The JetBlue experience
keeps people and culture at
the heart of everything we
do,” said Icema Gibbs, director
corporate social responsibility
and diversity, equity
& inclusion, JetBlue. “Over
the past few months, we’ve
realized that our mission of
inspiring humanity is more
essential than ever. As a values
based airline, we have
a long history of using our
voice to unite our crewmembers,
customers and communities
during difficult times.
We try to make change in
ways that are authentic to us.
Bringing our mission of inspiring
humanity to life isn’t
new. These reports showcase
our ongoing work to make a
positive impact for the environment,
in our communities
and beyond.”
· JetBlue’s Soar with
Reading program brought
the magic of reading to children
in areas known as book
deserts in San Francisco,
Oakland, and New York City.
To date, JetBlue has donated
$3.75 million worth of books
to kids in need.
· Through the 2018 and
2019 Swing For Good campaigns,
JetBlue and its business
partners raised muchneeded
funds for youth and
education focused charities
and distributed more than
$2 million to DoSomething.
org, First Book, Together
We Rise, Feeding Children
Everywhere and the JetBlue
Foundation.
· The JetBlue Foundation
continued its work to add
more diversity in science,
technology, engineering and
math (STEM) and aviation
by supporting education programs
focused on girls and
women, people of color and
other communities who are
under-represented in these
areas. The JetBlue Foundation
has supported more
than 90 STEM and aviation
programs with $1.7 million
in grants, in-kind support
and mentoring.
· JetBlue recently announced
plans to achieve carbon
neutral flying for its domestic
routes later this year
as a critical and measurable
step toward reducing its contribution
to global warming.