US airline passengers down nearly 90 percent

Airline passengers have fallen by almost 90pc in the US as the coronavirus pandemic brings air travel nearly to a halt.

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) processed fewer than 240,000 travelers yesterday, compared to nearly 2.3mn for the same weekday last year.

US jet fuel prices fell to 18-year lows over the past week as capacity cuts crippled US airline operations. Refineries in the US have begun to cut production in response to the demand drop.

The US Senate yesterday voted 96-0 in favor of a $2.2 trillion bill meant to offer a three-month financial lifeline to airlines and other businesses reeling from the collapse in commerce from the coronavirus outbreak. The US House of Representatives intends to approve the bill in a voice vote tomorrow and President Donald Trump has vowed to sign the measure "immediately" after it passes.

The bill would offer $25bn in loans to passenger air carriers and $4bn in loans to cargo air carriers. That would fall short of the $29bn in "payroll protection" grants and $29bn in loans sought by the industry group Airlines for America.

US airlines carried a record number of passengers in the days and months before the coronavirus pandemic shrank demand. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) estimated US airlines carried a record 925.5mn passenger last year.

This year is expected to be the first year that passenger numbers have declined since 2009. The annual number of passengers has hit a record high every year since 2015.

By Wendy Dulaney