Green or bust: what economic future lies in store for the battered travel industry?

Analysis: Do some travel companies face an existential threat because of this pandemic and new decarbonisation policies from governments, or could a suite of new Covid vaccines ride to the industry’s rescue by enabling a return to pre-crisis travel patterns? Ben Chu investigates

EasyJet has announced a record loss for the year to September. Will demand for short breaks ever return? (AFP via Getty Images)

Few sectors of the economy have been hit harder by the coronavirus pandemic than international travel companies. 

The budget airline easyJet announced a record loss for the year to September on Tuesday. Heathrow airport’s passengers in October were down 82 per cent on a year earlier – and now the UK’s largest aviation hub has the threat of strikes over Christmas to contend with.  

All this economic damage raises the question of whether some travel companies face an existential threat.