Global passenger traffic is now at 74.6% of pre-pandemic levels: IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that passenger data for July shows that the recovery in air travel continues to be strong.

Total traffic in July (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) was up 58.8 per cent compared to July 2021. Globally, traffic is now at 74.6 per cent of pre-crisis levels.

Domestic traffic for July was up 4.1 per cent compared to the year-ago period and is now driving the recovery. Total July domestic traffic was at 86.9 per cent of the July 2019 level. China saw a strong month-to-month improvement compared to June.

International traffic rose 150.6 per cent versus July 2021. International RPKs in July reached 67.9 per cent of July 2019 levels. All markets reported strong growth, led by Asia-Pacific.

IATA director-general, Willie Walsh, said: “July’s performance continued to be strong, with some markets approaching pre-Covid levels. And that is even with capacity constraints in parts of the world that were unprepared for the speed at which people returned to travel. There is still more ground to recover, but this is an excellent sign as we head into the traditionally slower autumn and winter quarters in the Northern Hemisphere.”

According to IATA...

• Middle Eastern airlines’ traffic climbed 193.1 per cent in July compared to July 2021. July capacity rose 84.1 per cent versus the year-ago period, and load factor climbed 30.5 percentage points to 82.0 per cent.
• Asia-Pacific airlines posted a 528.8 per cent rise in July traffic compared to July 2021, the strongest year-over-year rate among the regions. Capacity rose 159.9 per cent and the load factor was up 47.1 percentage points to 80.2 per cent.
• European carriers saw July traffic rise 115.6 per cent versus July 2021. Capacity rose 64.3 per cent, and load factor climbed 20.6 percentage points to 86.7 per cent, the second highest among the regions.
• North American carriers had a 129.2 per cent traffic rise in July versus the 2021 period. Capacity rose 79.9 per cent, and load factor climbed 19.4 percentage points to 90.3 per cent, which was the highest among the regions for a second month.
• Latin American airlines’ July traffic rose 119.4 per cent compared to the same month in 2021. July capacity rose 92.3 per cent and the load factor increased 10.5 percentage points to 85.2 per cent.
• African airlines saw an 84.8 per cent rise in July RPKs versus a year ago. July 2022 capacity was up 46.7 per cent and the load factor climbed 15.5 percentage points to 75 per cent, the lowest among regions.

Walsh concluded: “Aviation continues to recover as people take advantage of their restored freedom to travel. The pandemic showed that aviation is not a luxury but a necessity in our globalised and interconnected world. Aviation is committed to continuing to meet the demands of people and commerce and to do it sustainably. We have set a goal to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, which is in line with the targets of the Paris Agreement. Governments will have the opportunity to support our commitment by agreeing to a long-term aspirational goal of net zero aviation CO2 emissions by 2050 at the upcoming 41^st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). With governments supporting the same goal and timeline, we and our value chain partners can move forward with confidence towards a net zero carbon future.”

Read: On an upward trajectory: How the regional aviation industry is charting its recovery