Air traffic in Chile grows over 500% in August compared to 2020, but still not at pre-Covid-19 levels

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Little by little and after an intense 2020 in economic and industrial matters, Chile is returning to normal operations. But it is still far from reaching pre-pandemic levels.

This was demonstrated by the latest air traffic balance published by the Civil Aeronautics Board (JAC), which revealed an increase of up to 500% in passengers transported in August compared to the same period in 2020. A number that, despite being considerably positive, is explained due to the low rate of comparison.

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According to the report, 138,578 international passengers and 850,384 domestic passengers were registered during the eighth month of this year. That is, 543.5% and 413.4% more, respectively, than in the same period of 2020.

And if we look at total passengers in August 2021 compared to August 2020, the difference is 428.3%.

In relation to daily passengers, it is noted that in August this year, a total of 31,959 passengers were carried in August this year, i.e., 430% more than in 2020, but 50% less than in 2019. In fact, at the end of September last year, the government projected that only in 2024 will pre-pandemic air traffic be reached.

The days with the highest air passenger traffic were those near weekends. On Friday, August 20, there were 37,118 people carried, a figure that exceeds last month’s peak by approximately 500 passengers.

On the other hand, the day with the highest international air traffic was Friday, August 13, with 6,151 passengers, an increase over last month of approximately 1,500 passengers, while the highest domestic day was Monday, August 9, with 32,345 passengers carried, about 2,300 passengers less than last month’s domestic high.

However, from a general perspective, if we analyze the current period and the air traffic recorded before the pandemic, the scenario is the opposite, and the difference is even harmful. This is because in August this year, there were 85.2% fewer passengers on international flights and 28.1% fewer on domestic flights than in 2019.

During August, the total increase of airlines with respect to 2020 was 543%, while if compared to 2019, this figure reaches -85%.

The firms that grew the most in terms of passenger traffic concerning 2020 were JetSmart (2,157%), Sky Airline (823%), Copa Airlines (717%), and Latam, with 566% more operations than last year.

But if we look at the growth of the 17 airlines operating in the country with respect to August 2019, none recorded a positive variation. Thus, Aerolíneas Argentinas – Austral showed the worst performance with a growth of 97% below what was reported in 2019. It is followed by Sky Airline with -90%, and Latam with -87%.

It is worth noting that between January and August 2021, the firms that led in passenger transportation either domestically or internationally were Latam (2,847,977), Sky Airline (1,117,053), and JetSmart (837,291).

In August, 35,887 tons of cargo were transported on domestic and international flights, which compared to the same period in 2020 represents an increase of 15.9%. Of these, 32,377 tons correspond to cargo with international origin or destination.

In the January-August period, 24,602 tons of cargo were transported within Chile, an increase of 32.9% compared to 2020.