"Global passenger traffic will only return to pre-covid-19 levels in 2024, a year later than previously forecast", indicates IATA in a projection released on 28 July.

This is because, according to the association representing 209 airlines worldwide and 82 percent of global transport, "passenger traffic in June 2020 showed a slower recovery than expected".

IATA also states that it expects that "recovery in short-distance travel will continue to be faster than in long-distance travel".

IATA also says that it expects that “the number of passengers will increase 62 percent in 2021 in relation to the sharp reduction of 2020, but it will still be almost 30 percent lower compared to 2019”.

For this reason, "a full recovery is not expected to the levels of 2019 until 2024, a year later than previously forecast", concludes IATA.