IATA report finds 25 million aviation-related jobs endangered due to COVID-19

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) maintains that 25 million aviation industry jobs could potentially be lost in the aftermath of decreased travel demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the IATA’s recently released analysis, research calculates 25 million jobs in aviation and related sectors are endangered across the world, broken down as 11.2 million jobs in Asia-Pacific, 5.6 million jobs in Europe, 2.9 million jobs in Latin America, 2.0 million jobs in North America, 2.0 million jobs in Africa, and 0.9 million jobs in the Middle East.

“There are no words to adequately describe the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the airline industry. And the economic pain will be shared by 25 million people who work in jobs dependent upon airlines,” IATA Director-General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said. “Airlines must be viable businesses so that they can lead the recovery when the pandemic is contained. A lifeline to the airlines now is critical.”

IATA is calling for aid for airlines in the form of direct financial support, loans, loan guarantees, and support for the corporate bond market.

“We have never shuttered the industry on this scale before,” de Juniac said. “Consequently, we have no experience in starting it up. It will be complicated. At the practical level, we will need contingencies for licenses and certifications that have expired. We will have to adapt operations and processes to avoid reinfections via imported cases and find a predictable and efficient approach to managing travel restrictions, which need to be lifted before we can get back to work.”