Use the news: Tough times for airports
The world’s busiest airports have taken a huge hit in lost business due to the coronavirus epidemic. And it will take a long time for them to recover as long as border restrictions and quarantines for travelers remain in effect, according to the airport trade association Airports Council International (ACI).
Traffic is down by more than 90 percent when measured against last year, and it is estimated that 4.6-billion fewer passengers will pass through airports in 2020 than in 2019.
The world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta, Georgia, served 110.5-million passengers in 2019, but in the first three months of this year volume was down 18 percent due to the virus, ACI reports.
The world’s third busiest airport, Los Angeles International in southern California, saw a 21.7 percent drop in passengers in the first three months, after serving more than 88 million passengers last year.
The world’s second busiest airport, Beijing Capital International in the Asian nation of China, saw the biggest drop in passengers of any country, with a loss in the first three months of nearly 63 percent over last year, when it served 100 million passengers.
“The demand is pretty much gone,” an ACI spokesman said.
Airports and airlines face many challenges to safely reopening and getting back up to full operations. In the newspaper or online, find and closely read stories about challenges they face. Use what you read to write a consumer column, telling travelers things they need to know about future air travel.