IATA: Shanghai becomes the most connected city in the world

The International Air Transport Association recently announced that Shanghai is the world’s most connected city in the world. Along with Shanghai, three other cities such as Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou have emerged as the most connected cities in the world.

Key Highlights

Earlier London was the most connected city in the world according to the International Air Transport Association. It has now fallen to eighth spot. Heathrow Airport of London is the second busiest airport in the world. In 2019, the airport welcomed more than 80 million passengers. The air traffic and connectivity of London has now declined by 67% according to the international Air Transport Association. Similarly, the air traffic and connectivity of Tokyo has fallen by 55%. The other cities that saw major decline in connectivity are Seoul by 69%, Hong Kong and Bangkok by 81%.

The Middle East countries saw a decline of 88% in the air connectivity. On the other hand, Europe and Africa suffered a decline of 93% of air connectivity. The air connectivity in the world had been growing over the past two decades. In the last two decades, the number of cities that were directly connected by air doubled and air travel cost fell by half. The COVID-19 crisis has brought down the growing air traffic.

All these above announcements were made by the International Air Transport Association at its 76th annual general meeting. The meeting called on the government to safely reopen their borders through proper testing. According to the International Air Transport Association systematic testing is the only immediate solution to rebuild the lost connectivity in the world.

About the International Air Transport Association ranking

Shanghai of China was at the top of the ranking with highest connectivity. Following Shanghai,  the other cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chicago, Shenzen, Los Angeles were at second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh places respectively.

Air Transport in China

Amidst the covid-19 crisis, the air travel within China had increased greatly. According to the Chinese tourism ministry, during the golden week holiday season, around 425 million people travelled around the country.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2020