IATA presents study on Covid impact on air fleets

23-04-23

• Nearly 20,000 aircraft were grounded out of the 33,000-34,000 in the fleets of all airlines.

• The industry has seen a steady recovery since the final stretch of 2020, but 6,338 aircraft remain grounded

The travel restrictions and border closures that accompanied the onset of the pandemic caused the number of active aircraft to suffer an unimaginable and historic plunge 

According to a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in the worst months of Covid (spring 2020), the number of parked aircraft exceeded the number of operational aircraft for the first time in history, with nearly 20,000 versus less than 15,000. The number of parked units increased by 235% per month in March 2020.

After the steep drop in the first few months of the pandemic, aviation showed a slow but steady recovery, which is reflected in the data provided by the airline lobby. Today, three years after the outbreak of the Covid crisis, airlines have 28,093 aircraft in operation, 98% of their pre-pandemic levels of 28,939.

However, the trend is not as positive with parked aircraft. In March this year, there were 6,338 unused aircraft, almost twice as many as in February 2020, when the figure stood at 3,461.

It is striking that the proportion of parked wide-body aircraft is substantially higher than before the pandemic. The opposite is true for aircraft used for short-haul flights. This is due to the slower recovery of international travel.