The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that air travel demand continues to grow, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
The data based on February 2023 traffic results showed that total traffic (measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometers - RPKs) rose 55.5% compared to February 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 84.9% of February 2019 levels.
IATA stated that international traffic, led again by carriers in the Asia-Pacific region, climbed 89.7% versus February 2022, with all markets recording strong growth. International RPKs have now reached 77.5% of February 2019 levels.
Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA, said, “Despite the uncertain economic signals, demand for air travel continues to be strong across the globe and particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The industry is now just about 15% below 2019 levels of demand, and that gap is narrowing each month.”
In India, passenger traffic was down 2.2% on February 2019, but Available Seat-Kilometers (ASKs) were 7.1% above pre-crisis capacity.
“People are flying in ever greater numbers. With the Easter and Passover holidays we are expecting large numbers of travellers to take to the skies in many parts of the world. They should do so with confidence that airlines have been rebuilding resiliency that suffered owing to the pandemic. Other participants in the air travel value chain, including airports, air navigation service providers, and airport security staff, need to have the same commitment to ensuring our customers can enjoy smooth holiday travel,” Walsh added.
The recovery of international flows continues to grow in the Asia Pacific region, with the region’s airlines achieving the fastest annual growth rates for passenger traffic. International RPKs grew 378.7% over the previous year, accounting for 58.4% of February 2019 traffic.
According to IATA data, Asia-Pacific airlines had a 378.7% increase in February 2023 traffic compared to February 2022. Airline capacity has also increased to 176.4%, with the passenger load factor increasing to 82.5%, the second highest among the regions.
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