Airline Recovery Not Expected Until 2003

The airline industry won’t recover from the terrorist attacks for another year, the government says, but growth later in the decade will overwhelm the air traffic system if it isn’t improved.

The Federal Aviation Administration, releasing its forecasts in conjunction with its annual conference, said the number of passengers on U.S. airlines is expected to decline this year compared with last. Not until later in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 will the skies beckon again, the FAA said.