The plague-like SARS, which spreads fast in closed quarters, is taking a bigger toll on air travel than the Iraqi war.
The airline industry said yesterday it expects to lose $10 billion this year, a big chunk of it stemming from the dangerous respiratory disease.
Losses already have reached about $4 billion in the last three months – more than the losses linked to the Middle East fighting, said the International Air Transport Association.
“The impact has been much, much greater than what happened in the Iraq war,” said Giovanni Bisignani, the association’s director general.
He said passengers are protected from germs in the cabin’s air by on-board ventilation and filtration systems.
“Travel by air is safe. The cabin air quality is as pure as a hospital intensive care unit,” said Bisignani.
He estimates the world’s carriers will have suffered $30 billion in red ink since air travel collapsed from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “The last three years have been the worst since civil aviation started,” said Bisignani.
Nine of the largest U.S. carriers, including AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, have posted $3.56 billion in losses for the first quarter, which is typically the worst of the year. Only Southwest Airlines had a profit.
The outbreak of the disease – with its epicenter in China – has killed 425 people worldwide and infected at least 6,234, say health officials.