LatAm’s annual passenger traffic

Latin America’s annual passenger traffic halves

The latest regional passenger traffic figures from Airports Council

International-Latin America and Caribbean make grim reading by HIBAH NOOR

Rafael Echevarne, Director General, Ecuador was the only country that went America are much stricter than in Airports Council International from a complete lockdown to an opening Europe,” continued Echevarne. “Many - Latin America and Caribbean of air transportation, he added. countries in Europe are not using thermal (ACI-LAC), gave an informative presentacameras. Although it’s questionable how tion of the current state of affairs in the Domestic traffic boost effective they are, it’s more in order to Latin American aviation industry during In big countries like Brazil and Mexico, provide confidence to the travelers.” the South American duty free association the situation was different from the rest of Echevarne observed that if countries ASUTIL’s third webinar. the region, because there’s a lot of domesimpose quarantine restrictions, that

Passenger traffic in the year to June in tic traffic. In both of these countries, there immediately means a huge reduction in Latin America was 51% lower than last was a 70% decrease in traffic compared to demand for air transportation and touryear. “We have lost half of the passengers,” last year, as opposed to 90% in the height ism dries up. said Echevarne. ARI-LAC forecasts that of the crisis. He said the requirement for passengers the rest of the year will also be down 51%. Airports throughout the region have to prove they are virus-free was becoming

He noted that Mexico was the only already introduced all the measures and more popular. This usually involves taking country in the world that didn’t impose protocols to ensure that air transportaa test within the last 72 hours and proving any restrictions on air transportation. But tion is not a factor in the transmission of you don’t have it at the airport, or taking in other countries, such as Colombia and COVID-19. For example, only travelers the test upon arrival. Argentina, the lockdown had been can access the terminal building, passenHe explained that in travel bubbles, very strict. gers and employees all wear masks, and people can travel freely within an area,

Uruguay was the only country in Latin social distancing is imposed. such as in Europe, and there is no need to America that had been allowed to reintro“I have been traveling all over Europe go into quarantine. “This is the only way of duce flights to the European Union, and and I can say that the protocols in Latin stimulating air transportation,” he said.