New aircraft orders have slumped to a record low, with no new orders during the month of September and only 12 placed during the whole of the third quarter.
The number of global Q3 orders declined 91.4% on the same quarter last year, according to the trade body ADS, which represents aerospace and related industries worldwide.
ADS said July and August had four and nine orders respectively, with just three of those for wide-body aircraft.
There were 173 new aircraft delivered during the third quarter – also the worst on record but showing signs of improvement, ADS said.
Most of these were single-aisle aircraft, with only 38 for wide-body aircraft. ADS said this underlined the serious decline in demand for long-haul international travel.
September recorded an increase in deliveries to levels almost similar to February before coronavirus caused global lockdowns. However, that was still far below normal levels expected for this time of year.
ADS chief executive Paul Everitt said: "The aerospace and aviation industries have invested in robust health and safety measures as part of aircraft design which makes the risk of transmission when travelling aboard an aircraft extremely low.
"We need to continue to work together internationally to improve consumer confidence and encourage a return to the skies.
"The quarantine period that passengers face when they return home is one of the main barriers to UK aviation’s recovery and testing can play a major role in reducing this.
"The government should rapidly implement a testing regime so that the 14-day quarantine period can be shortened. This will help improve confidence amongst travellers and in turn put the aviation and aerospace sectors on a path towards recovery."
