Brussels, Oct 16 (IANS): The number of people travelling by air in the European Union (EU) decreased dramatically in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

In a report on Thursday, Eurostat said that due to the pandemic-induced containment measures that discourage travelling, the decline ranged from 96 per cent to 99 per cent among 19 EU member states, reports Xinhua news agency.

In the report, data were not available for Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Malta, Poland, Romania and Sweden in the 27 EU members.

Spain appeared to be the hardest hit, with 61.6 million, or 99 per cent less air passengers from April to July 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.

Germany registered a loss of 59.1 million air passengers, or a decrease of 97 per cent year on year in the second trimester of 2020.

There were 44.2 million less people travelling by air from and to France, or 97 per cent less, in the second quarter of 2020.

Italy witnessed a decrease of 42.6 million air passengers, or 98 per cent, for the second quarter of 2020 compared to the same period last year.

The report also provided the statistics of North Macedonia, a country currently negotiating its accession to the EU, with a registered loss of air passengers by 100 per cent for the second trimester of 2020.

According to International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global international traffic shrank by 96.8 per cent in June, compared to June 2019, only slightly improved over a 98.3 per cent decline in May, year-over-year.

European carriers saw demand topple 96.7 per cent in June versus a year ago, compared to a 98.7 per cent decline in May, the IATA added.