RIYADH: Middle East airlines posted losses of $7.1 billion in 2020, a loss of $68.47 for each passenger flown, with traffic at less than 20 percent of 2019 levels, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said. January air passenger traffic in the region was down 82.3 percent compared with January 2019, according to IATA data. The ongoing crisis puts over 1.7 million jobs in the Middle East and $105 billion in GDP at risk, IATA said as it called upon governments in the region to develop restart plans for the post-COVID-19 phase, and for regional coordination to ensure that the plans can be efficiently implemented. Airlines in the Middle East received $4.8 billion in government aid in 2020, $4.1 billion of which was distributed through cash injections, IATA said.