COVID variants and travel curbs threaten airline recovery - IATA

FILE PHOTO: A logo of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is pictured before and an interview with Reuters on the consequences of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Geneva, Switzerland, March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Global airlines are bracing for a slower recovery as governments respond to new COVID-19 variants with more travel curbs, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.

New restrictions now pose a "downside risk" to IATA's forecast return to 50% of pre-crisis passenger traffic levels in 2021, Director General Alexandre de Juniac said on Wednesday.

The clampdown "could make even that modest outlook very challenging", de Juniac said. IATA said global passenger traffic fell 66% and cargo demand by 10.6% in full-year 2020.

(Reporting by Laurence Frost; Editing by Alison Williams)