A 2021 EUROCONTROL presentation examines how COVID-19 devastated European aviation, with flights dropping as much as 88% below 2019 levels and airlines, airports, and air navigation service providers suffering €56.2 billion in net losses. The presentation outlines three recovery scenarios ranging from an optimistic return to 2019 traffic levels by 2024 (if vaccines proved effective quickly) to a prolonged recovery not expected until 2029 if vaccines failed. It frames the crisis as an opportunity to advance aviation sustainability, including reduced carbon emissions and noise impacts.Open full document
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A presentation by EUROCONTROL’s Head of Aviation Sustainability, Marylin Bastin, delivered at the Aviation Noise & Emissions Symposium 2021. The presentation covers European aviation traffic scenarios showing the severe impact of COVID-19, with flights down 44% in 2020 compared to 2019. It includes five-year forecast scenarios for European aviation recovery through 2024, ranging from optimistic (recovery by 2024) to pessimistic (recovery by 2029).