Influence of COVID-19 on air pollution caused by commercial flights in Turkey

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present research addresses the influence of COVID-19 on the amount of air pollutants induced by commercial air transport in Turkey. The data sets were obtained from the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (GDSA), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and Turkish Airlines (THY). Since the pandemic became a serious issue for Turkey in March, 2020, the period from March until August 2020 is considered as being the pandemic period for the purpose of calculations. Comparisons were added to computations starting from January 2017. The percentage changes in the total pollutant amount on a monthly basis, induced by domestic flights in 2020 for the months of March, April, May, June, July and August were calculated to be −42.78%, −99.76%, −99.61, −73.27, −49.66% and −36.66%, respectively. Compared to the total amount of emissions of domestic traffic, the total amount of pollutants for international traffic did not increase in July and August. The increase in traffic on domestic flights in July and August 2020, along with the increase in demand for the tourism sector, did not reflect the same on international routes. The fact that part of the data obtained during the study is based on real evidence, and that some of it gives an average result through assumptions, indicates a serious decrease in the amount of pollutants as an undeniable fact.