ESCWA: 50% drop in air passenger transport in the Arab region

The spread of the Corona pandemic in the Arab region has led to a decrease in the number of passenger air transport flights by more than 50% in the first six months of this year compared to the same period last year, not to mention the closure of land borders. and its impact on the movement of people and goods, according to a new study published today by a commission. The United Nations Economic and Social Council for Western Asia (ESCWA) in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) entitled “Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Arab region: transport
According to the study, the maritime freight sector was not significantly affected by the pandemic in the region, showing flexibility towards various factors of imbalance, with variable impact at the country level.

The total number of passengers on flights to, from and within the Arab region is expected to decrease in 2020 to reach around 154 million passengers, bringing the number of passengers back to 2009 levels. While total airline revenue losses in the region in 2020 are estimated at $ 38 billion.That is, about 53% of last year’s revenue, international air travel is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels before 2023.

Air transport is not the only one to suffer from the repercussions of the measures that accompanied the pandemic, as the closure of borders and the adoption of security protocols have had an impact on the movement of people and goods, and the study predicts that the revenue of the land transport sector in the region will decline by 22% in 2020.

On the other hand, the number of commercial cargo ship visits to the region decreased by only 1% during the first 31 weeks of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, and the number of container ship visits to ports remained constant. As for the number of port visits to passenger ships, it was strongly affected, decreasing by 40.1%.

In light of these changes, ESCWA Executive Secretary Rola Dashti urged Arab governments to adopt support packages for the transport and logistics sector, including financial support, tax cuts, tax exemptions and exemptions and support for wages and training of workers. He added: “Governments should strengthen international and regional cooperation in order to take concerted and concerted action to address the pandemic and its impact on transport and logistics, such as information exchange, mutual recognition of certificates and compliance documents. and the coordination of border management “.

The new study is part of a series of studies to evaluate the impact of the Coronavirus, which ESCWA is preparing to support Arab countries in their joint efforts to mitigate the effects of the global epidemic.