COVID-19 Pandemic: Observations on the Ongoing Recovery of the Aviation Industry

International flight restrictions, local stay-at-home orders, and a general fear of contracting and spreading COVID-19 through air travel had a sudden and profound effect on the U.S. aviation industry. According to Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics, passenger traffic in April 2020 was 96 percent lower systemwide than April 2019, and remained 60 percent below 2019 traffic levels throughout 2020. This report examines (1) immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses across the aviation industry; (2) actions those businesses took in response; (3) actions the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) took to help the industry respond to the pandemic; and (4) the outlook for industry recovery, among other issues. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed DOT airline operational and financial data from calendar years 2019 through 2020, financial statements from various aviation-related businesses, FAA regulations and operational guidance, and industry recovery forecasts. GAO conducted a generalizable survey of 1,136 smaller airports. GAO also interviewed officials from FAA and representatives from a judgmental sample of 47 aviation and aerospace industry stakeholders selected based on location and industry sector. GAO continues to urge Congress to take legislative action to require DOT to work with relevant agencies, stakeholders, and members of the aviation and public health sectors to develop a national aviation-preparedness plan for communicable disease threats

• Record URL:
  https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-104429.pdf
• Summary URL:
  https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-22-104429-highlights.pdf
• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. Government Accountability Office

  441 G Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20548
• Publication Date: 2021-10-21

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 93p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airlines; Airports; Communicable diseases; COVID-19; Disaster preparedness; Forecasting
• Identifier Terms: U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01785215
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: GAO-22-104429
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 22 2021 9:18AM