Middle East airline capacity slumps 57.2% on coronavirus impact

Experts say vaccinations will have limited effect on air travel until rollouts reach ‘sufficient volumes’

The immediate outlook remains bleak for the global aviation industry

Middle Eastern scheduled airline capacity is down 57.2 per cent on January 20 last year, according to the latest data from UK aviation analysts OAG.

Global airline capacity stands at just half of the same week last year, said OAG, citing the devastating impact of the pandemic on air traffic flows as well as the imposition of travel restrictions and quarantine laws.

International seats have now fallen back to 53.4 million, a level last seen in July 2020. Last week, global capacity was at 55.2 million meaning 1.8 million seats have been taken out of the schedule in a week.

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