Middle Eastern airlines register 157.4% rise in passenger traffic in 2022

The aviation industry in 2022 showcased considerable recovery, registering a rise in traffic across key passengers markets.

The ✈️ industry left 2022 in far stronger ? shape than it entered, as most govts lifted #COVID19 travel restrictions during the year and people took advantage of the restoration of their freedom to #travel.

Access full-year traffic release ➡️ https://t.co/QvT07m8ojK pic.twitter.com/LPjeTndwuN

— IATA (@IATA) February 6, 2023

Middle Eastern airlines saw a 157.4 per cent rise in international traffic – measured in revenue passenger kilometres – in 2022 compared to the prior year. Capacity increased 73.8 per cent and load factor climbed 24.6 percentage points to 75.8 per cent, International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed.

“The industry left 2022 in far stronger shape than it entered, as most governments lifted Covid-19 travel restrictions during the year and people took advantage of the restoration of their freedom to travel,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.

Dubai itself welcomed 14.36 million international visitors last year, with the emirate closing in on its pre-pandemic visitor figures of 16.73 million recorded in 2019.

Read: Dubai receives 14.36 million international visitors in 2022

Meanwhile, overall passenger traffic in 2022 recorded a 64.4 per cent increase compared to 2021, and stood at 68.5 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019, IATA noted.

International traffic climbed 152.7 per cent last year versus 2021 and made up 62.2 per cent of 2019 levels. Domestic traffic also rose 10.9 per cent in 202 compared to the prior year, making up 79.6 per cent of the full year 2019 level.

Other international passenger markets
Carriers across the Asia-Pacific posted a 363.3 per cent rise in full year international 2022 traffic compared to 2021, maintaining the strongest year-over-year rate among the regions. Capacity rose 129.9 per cent and the load factor climbed 37.3 percentage points to 74 per cent.

European carriers also registered considerable rise in full year traffic, spiking 132.2 per cent against the prior year.  North American and Latin American carriers reported a 130.2 per cent and a 119.2 per cent increase in annual traffic rise last year compared to 2021, respectively.

African airlines’ annual traffic also climbed 89.2 per cent in 2022 versus the prior year. Full year 2022 capacity was up 51 per cent.

“Let us hope that 2022 becomes known as the year in which governments locked away forever the regulatory shackles that kept their citizens earthbound for so long,” added Walsh.

“It is vital that governments learn the lesson that travel restrictions and border closures have little positive impact in terms of slowing the spread of infectious diseases in our globally inter-connected world. However, they have an enormous negative impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, as well as on the global economy that depends on the unfettered movement of people and goods.”

In regards to domestic passenger markets, India’s full year domestic traffic rose 48.8 per cent versus 2021, reaching 85.7 per cent of the 2019 level. Meanwhile, Japan’s domestic RPKs soared 75.9 per cent in 2022 and were at 74.1 per cent of the 2019 level, IATA noted.