Four lost years. That’s how long it’s taken the aviation industry to get back to where it stood before the pandemic.
This week, global airline capacity is poised to finally surpass its corresponding 2019 levels, based on data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. The moment marks a major milestone in the recovery from the Covid-19 outbreak, which threw the world’s $1.17 trillion travel market into an unprecedented, existential crisis. Widespread border closures forced airlines to park their fleets, driving the industry to the brink of collapse.
