IATA: Middle East carriers face substantial risk if coronavirus spreads to impact wider Asia Pacific

IATA reported (13-Feb-2020) carriers in the Middle East could be vulnerable if travel restrictions related to the coronavirus spread further to the rest of Asia Pacific and if the slow-down in Chinese economy was to impact the travel demand in the region. Under this scenario, the Middle East carriers' exposure increases from 3% of their total base passenger revenue to almost 50% of revenue, as they are connecting the Asia Pacific to the rest of the world, mainly Europe. IATA noted this "poses a substantial business risk for a regional group which has been posting losses even before the virus outbreak". [more - original PR]