In-service airliners continue to decline

The number of airliners in service has plunged amid fresh coronavirus restrictions, strangling off a partial recovery seen in the latter half of 2020, figures from travel data specialist Cirium show.

The slump is most pronounced for deployments of single-aisle aircraft, which fell below 8,800 on Feb. 5, a drop of almost 15 percent when compared with Jan. 3, when the highest number saw action since last spring’s initial lockdowns.

Wide-body usage slumped 14 percent from a Dec. 19 peak, though bigger aircraft remain comparatively far less popular, with just half the number in service when compared with pre-pandemic levels as long-haul travel remains largely out of bounds.

Cirium estimates that a return to 2019 demand levels could take until 2025.