Effects of COVID-19 on China's civil aviation passenger transport market

COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the civil aviation transportation sector. This study uses COVID-19 statistics and socioeconomic development data for various cities in China, combined with the Moran index and econometric models to analyse the spatial distribution of China's epidemic and civil aviation passenger throughput, as well as the impact of COVID-19 and socioeconomic factors on the civil aviation passenger transport market. We find that COVID-19 spread from Wuhan to the surrounding cities, showing a positive spatial autocorrelation; civil aviation passenger throughput decreased significantly in cities where the virus continued to spread and recurred frequently. Due to the effective prevention and control of the pandemic in China, the domestic passenger transport industry recovered rapidly, while international air passenger services continued to suffer; major cities with high social and economic development still show a large decline in passenger transport, but they are again undertaking most passenger transport services. COVID-19's impact on tourism has affected the civil aviation industry significantly, whose recovery depends on the tourism industry's recovery; this, in turn, is led by regions with a high degree of social and economic development.