Almost 60% of adults say they intend to fly less after being vaccinated against COVID-19 – with fears that new variants of the virus spreading among the main concerns.
Research by the University of Bristol, seen exclusively by Sky News, investigated the long-term impact on the aviation sector, which has been severely affected by the pandemic.
Passenger air miles in April 2021 were 94% lower than in April 2019, according to the International Air Transport Association.
The survey of nearly 500 people revealed:
- 57.7% of respondents aim to fly “ less ” or “ much less ” in the future
- 76.9% said concerns about COVID-19 could deter them from flying
- 73.1% of those surveyed who want to fly less belong to older groups, over the age of 60
Dr Ed Atkins, lecturer at the School of Geographical Sciences, who led the study, said: “The huge impact of the pandemic on the aviation industry has been widely reported as air travel has all but come to a standstill, resulting in significant job losses and many countries providing financial support to the sector.
“So far, little research has been done to determine if and why passengers might fly back on the plane in the future.
“This survey aims to provide early information on how the pandemic might affect their attitudes towards theft and how often they plan to do so in the future.
“This has significant consequences for the hundreds of thousands of people who depend on this sector for their jobs and livelihoods.”
More than three-quarters of those polled said concerns about COVID-19 could deter them from flying. Pic: AP
In addition to concerns about COVID-19, climate change was also a top reason people wanted to reduce their number of flights, with 83% believing their personal use of air travel contributes to climate change.
“The role of the aviation industry in any ‘green recovery’ from COVID-19 remains unclear, but in some …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-04-21 21:29:00
