Air passenger transport in Brazil, the main Latin American aviation market, was reduced by 90% between February and May as a result of the epidemic of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), industry sources said on Tuesday.
According to the president of state-owned Infraero, Hélio Paes de Barros, “there was a 90% reduction in passenger demand between February and May this year compared to the same period in 2019”.
In a videoconference to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on air transport in Brazil, Paes de Barros admitted that Brazilian airports are experiencing a new reality due to the virus, with a huge drop in the presence of people, both at terminals and on flights.
“Despite the reduction measures, we still have about 6 thousand employees at Infraero, which implies a high cost”, said the president, who calculated that the company forecasts a 35% drop in income this year compared to last year. .
Brazil’s three main airlines, (Latam, Gol and Azul) announced a cut in the number of their flights, both domestic and international, due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
With the measure, domestic flights in Brazil are currently only 1,241 per week, considered essential, compared to 14,781 before the crisis.