Airports in France recorded a drop in attendance, which is notably between 50% and almost 80%, during the month of July. These results mark a fairly critical period for airports this summer, in addition to the cancellations announced by airlines as a safety measure during this health crisis.
Empty airports and fewer travelers due to fear of contamination or the complexity of overseas travel procedures are causing the attendance rate to plummet compared to the same period last year. This varies by region, according to figures released by Flightright:
• Roissy Charles de Gaulle records only 10,600 flights in
July, with -51% (- 11,400 flights compared to 2019). The figures show -63% for Marseille-Provence and Nantes-Atlantique, -72% for Lyon – Saint-Exupéry and Paris-Orly, -51% for Nice-Côte d´Azur and 75% for Bordeaux-Mérignac.
Countries at risk for France: reducing contamination
France has drawn up a list of 16 countries at risk, which has not helped to improve the catastrophic situation of airports. Since August 1, Covid-19 tests have been mandatory for the countries where the virus circulates the most, namely: the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Panama, South Africa, Kuwait, Qatar, Israel, Brazil , Peru, Serbia, Algeria, Turkey, Madagascar, India and Oman.
Travelers returning from these countries must test negative. If they cannot pass it in their country, the sample will be taken at the airport, on French soil. In the event of a positive result, the traveler must self-isolate for 14 days.
Does testing decrease contamination from mandatory 14 day isolation? airlines and airports have replaced quarantine measures with a negative test dating back 48 hours. This alternative appeared with one goal: to reduce the risk of importing the virus by up to 90%.
That said, France has a minimal list compared to Germany which imposes a 14-day isolation (until the presentation of a negative test) for all travelers who have stayed in a risk zone, i.e. 130 countries. currently. A much larger list, for fear of a second wave after the return of vacationers … which is more careful!
According to Jean Paul Stahl, professor of infectious pathologies at the Grenoble University Hospital, who spoke at the microphone of Europe 1, this is still insufficient! It should also be noted that France does not require a test for travelers who mark a stopover in a risk zone. No test is also required for train travelers or those traveling by car!
A return to normal in 2022
According to a Coface study, taking stock of the impact of the global pandemic, air transport will be the most affected compared to maritime or rail transport, whose worldwide turnover should fall between 51% and 57% in 2020 (depending on the assumptions). IATA, an international air transport association that brings together 290 airlines around the world, estimates significant losses, including $ 84 billion in 2020 and $ 15.8 billion in 2021, and a 94% decrease from the previous year. previous year in April 2020
These air restrictions also impact the cargo business. Airlines carried cargo in the holds of airplanes carrying passengers.
Whether it is air, sea or rail transport, activities should not return to their 2019 level before 2022, according to Coface’s central scenario, also estimating a 5% drop in the turnover of transport companies, in the fourth quarter 2021 compared to the fourth quarter 2019.