US Air Traffic Doubles From April To May, Remains 89% Below 2019 Level - Transport Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2020) US airlines reported a tepid recovery in passenger loads in May, with twice the business of April, but traffic remained 89 percent lower than in May 2019, the Transportation Department said in a press release on Tuesday.

"US airlines carried 89 percent fewer scheduled service passengers in May 2020 than in May 2019, according to data filed with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) by 20 airlines that carry more than 90 percent of the passengers. Despite the large drop from May 2019, US airlines carried more than twice as many passengers in May 2020 than in April 2020," the release said.

Airline use began a precipitous drop as the novel coronavirus pandemic took hold in March, ending 29 consecutive months of year-over-year increases dating back to October 2017, the release said.

In May, the 20 leading US airlines carried 7.9 million passengers, down 89% from May 2019, of which 7.8 million flew to and from destinations in the United States and 182,000 flew on international flights, the release added.

The largest year-over-year decline ever recorded occurred in April, 96.1 percent from April 2019, according to the release.