US air travel at highest level in nearly a year

Air travel in the US has reached its highest level in nearly a year since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to transport authorities.

On Friday, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers screened 1.3 million people at airport security checkpoints, the highest figure since March 15, 2020, The Hill news website quoted TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein as saying on Saturday evening.

In the wake of the pandemic-related travel restrictions, the country's airline industry has been hit particularly hard and sought to assure travellers that flying is safe.

"We remain confident that this layered approach significantly reduces risk and are encouraged that science continues to confirm there is a very low risk of virus transmission onboard aircraft," a spokesperson for Airlines for America, which advocates for major US airlines, told The Hill.

The development comes amidst ongoing vaccinations against the virus across the country, as well as a decline in the number of new cases and hospitalisations.

The US on Friday passed 100 million vaccine doses administered, and President Joe Biden is ordering states to allow all adults to be eligible for a shot by May 1.