COVID-19: Impacts on air fares and air connectivity in the European Union

Abstract

Air transport in the European Union was particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper investigates in detail the impact of the pandemic on air fares and connectivity indicators in the European Union using data from a global distribution system provider for air tickets for the period between 2018 and 2021. In order to identify heterogeneous effects of COVID-19 on air fares and connectivity, separate analyses are conducted for different destination regions and airline types. The results of this paper reveal that connectivity was stronger affected than air fares. For most indicators, a steady recovery is observable after a sharp initial shock in April 2020. A regression analysis indicates that the impact of COVID-19 on air fares and connectivity in 2020 differed considerably seasonally and geographically.