As airlines across the world ground flights and international travel is restricted, airspaces have cleared. That's especially true for some of the busiest routes in the world, places where flights are normally zooming overhead non-stop.
Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 are tracking fewer flights as the days go by. A graph posted today shows an almost vertical dip in the amount of commercial flights in the air.
On Saturday, March 28, they reported tracked 69,510 flights – 20,000 less than the day before. A normal day in late March last year saw them tracking around 180,000 flights.
On 28 March, we tracked 69,510 flights—nearly 20,000 fewer flights than the day before. A normal day in late March would be about 180,000 flights.
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 29, 2020
Daily tracking statistics: https://t.co/EqV2Vo80Kd pic.twitter.com/WUf8dPWiAZ
We already looked into the quietening of UAE skies (which you will find here) after a two-week ban on commercial flights departing from and arriving into the UAE came into force last Wednesday.
But the same has happened elsewhere across the world.
Here's a striking look at the how the world's skies have changed in recent days:
1. General Europe air traffic
This comparison of Europe (slide to see difference) shows the number of commercial flights tracked on February 28, compared to March 27
2. Low-cost carriers in Europe
Whereas this visualisation (click to play) shows Europe's low-cost carriers – easyJet, Ryanair, Norwegian, Wizz Air — on March 28, compared to one month ago. Shockingly, the March 28 image shows less than ten flights in the air.
easyJet, Ryanair, Norwegian, Wizz — now compared to 1 month ago. pic.twitter.com/FyJvjHb5er
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 26, 2020
3. South Africa air traffic
This one from South Africa shows the changes over the same time period, from February 28 to March 27.
4. North Atlantic air traffic
This visualisation shows flight routes over the North Atlantic, comparing March 2019 with March 2020.
The North Atlantic one year apart.
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 27, 2020
📡 https://t.co/DgyDJxHqDm pic.twitter.com/DBk2WY5T0a
5. Empty skies over New Zealand
This picture shows one lone aircraft leaving New Zealand airspace, as the rest of the country is devoid of flying aircraft.
How the busiest airspaces in the world look right now...
6. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the US
7. Beijing Capital International Airport
8. Dubai International Airport
9. Los Angeles International Airport
10 Tokyo's Haneda Airport
Meanwhile, over in Hungary, a pilot took to the skies yesterday in a Magnus Fusion 212 to show their appreciation for healthcare professionals, creating a thumb's up and a cross in the sky.
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Read more:
The day the UAE skies fell silent: striking images show vanishing regional flights
UAE to ground all passenger flights in and out of the country
15,000 tests without a single positive: inside Abu Dhabi airport during the coronavirus crisis
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