Flight numbers are definitely increasing, however how many airlines went broke during that period. There is a very aggressive approach to expansion in the airline industry that is not sustainable as once you hit the wall of profitable routes and have to make money on existing networks it all falls in a heap. This is all in the mantra of keeping airline travel and freight as cheap as possible to promote globalised supply chains and tourism dollars moving. Aviation will quickly over the coming years move to where trains and shipping have dwindled to, the pandemic will give airlines the helping hand to move things faster in that direction. It wasn't that long ago in the scheme of things that we had trains with segregated seating, 1st/2nd/3rd class coaches, ships and ferries the same, now its all one ticket on the cheapest possible platform. I'm not including the floating and railed theme parks like cruise ships and others that charge extra not to go anywhere in particular.