The coronavirus pandemic sent global air passenger demand plunging 14 percent in February, marking the steepest decline in traffic since the September 11 attacks in 2001, the global aviation association said Thursday.
"Airlines were hit by a sledgehammer called COVID-19 in February," Alexandre de Juniac, head of the International Air Transport Association, said in a statement, pointing out that global numbers had slumped 14.1 per cent year-on-year in February, while the drop for carriers in the Asia Pacific region was 41 per cent.