There’s no doubt it’s been the toughest time on record for the aviation industry, with passenger numbers plummeting, flight schedules heavily reduced and planes left idle on runways.
According to data analysts Cirium, 21 years of global growth has been wiped out in 12 months, with passenger flights down 67pc in 2020.
Despite the bleak picture painted by these facts, most major airlines are soldiering on and looking forward to brighter times.
Using the pandemic pause to take stock and make improvements, many of the industry’s highest flyers have enhanced aircraft and reshaped protocols to offer customers a safer, greener and comfier time in the sky.