European aviation sector sees stark decline in Q2

EU air transportation saw a sharp decline in the second quarter when countries implemented measures to stem the coronavirus pandemic, the bloc said Thursday.

The statistical department of the 27-member bloc said the number of passengers dropped more than 96% on a yearly basis.

The largest declines were in Spain which fell by 99%, followed by Italy (98%), Ireland (98%), Austria (98%), Germany (97%), Portugal(97%), France (97%), Denmark (97%) and the Netherlands (96%).

"All EU airports with available data for the second semester of 2020 registered a dramatic decrease in the number of passengers handled compared with second semester of 2019," it added.

The coronavirus initially appeared in China last December and has spread all around the world and infected millions of people, while the overwhelming proportion of cases have recovered.

Measures to combat the pandemic has affected several economic sectors, especially tourism, manufacturing, and travel.