Almost half a trillion drop in revenue for the air transport industry, at least 43 commercial airlines gone bankrupt globally by October, close to 5 lakh jobs lost in the airlines segment — the year 2020, by various metrics, has been the worst year in the history of aviation as stakeholders across the spectrum struggled for survival because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent travel bans.
While restrictions on travel have not been fully lifted, airlines are looking at potential revival of fortunes with the vaccine rollout. However, industry experts suggest that any hopes for a smooth recovery are still subdued — evident from the fall in airline stock prices last month on the news of a mutated coronavirus variant emerging from the UK.
