Challenges to the global aerospace industry due to the pandemic epidemy of COVID-19

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 caused a worldwide pandemic of COVID-19. To halt its spread, countries around the world have gradually reduced international traffic, closed down operations and imposed social distancing rules. Aviation is one of the sectors that has experienced these restrictions in great intensity. The article describes the specific problems encountered by air carriers as well as airports, aircraft manufacturers and other sectors directly linked to the existence of the aviation industry. The second part of the article focuses on the comparison with previous crises of different origin using aggregated data about world air transportation. Based on this we evaluate the prospects for the aviation industry. We conclude, that the recovery from the current crisis in aviation will depend on the economic recovery as well as restoring the confidence of the travelling public.