SYDNEY - Airport passenger traffic in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to take a 24 per cent hit in the first quarter from the coronavirus, leading to a $3 billion decline in airport revenue and placing pressure on growth projects, an industry group said on Monday .
"Unlike airlines, who can choose to cancel flights or relocate their aircraft to other markets to reduce operating costs, airport operators manage immovable assets that cannot be closed down," Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific said in a statement. The International Air Transport Association , which represents airlines, last week called for rules governing airport slots to be suspended immediately in light of the disruption to flight schedules caused by the coronavirus epidemic that first broke out in China in December.
ACI Asia-Pacific said it was sympathetic with the airlines' needs to avoid flying empty planes simply to retain airport slots, but it said it wanted an evidence based, market-by-market review rather than blanket permission to cut flights without the risk of losing slots.