SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 10 February 2025, Monday |

U.S. screens 2.02 million airport passengers on Friday, highest record since March 2020

U.S airports have screened 2.02 million passengers on Friday, the highest number since March 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic slashed travel demand, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Still, Friday’s activity is still just 74 percent of pre-pandemic air travel on the equivalent day in June 2019, when 2.7 million passengers were screened. U.S. air travel demand has been rising steadily for months as more Americans get vaccinated.

Friday’s figure was still 1.5 million more travelers than the same day in June 2020.

“The growing number of travelers demonstrates this country’s resilience and the high level of confidence in COVID-19 counter measures, to include ready access to vaccines,” said Darby LaJoye, a senior TSA official, in a statement Saturday.

Airlines for America, an industry trade group, says domestic travel is down 22 percent, while international travel remains down 47 percent as the United States and many other countries continue to impose restrictions on travel.

The White House said this week it is forming working groups with the UK, European Union, Canada and Mexico in a bid to eventually relax restrictions. Airline officials do not think the United States will loosen rules until around July 4 at the earliest.

The lowest screening volume was on April 13, 2020, when just 87,534 individuals were screened at airport security checkpoints, TSA said. The agency notes that at some airports passenger traffic has surpassed pre-pandemic levels.

    Source:
  • Reuters