International air traffic drops 21% in May

The continued effect of the now-contained outbreak of the SARS virus in Asia contributed to a 21% drop in international passenger traffic in May over the same month last year. Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association, says: "The turmoil in the aviation industry intensified in May as the impact of the SARS crisis became more widespread and the global economy continued to struggle." The Asia-Pacific region recorded a drop of 50.8% compared with May 2002.

Source: Flight International