IATA says air travel recovery is continuing at a rapid pace, despite the high cost of fuel and the fact that China's borders remain largely closed.
The organization representing 290 airlines reports that total traffic in September rose 57.0% compared to September 2021. Globally, traffic is now at 73.8% of September 2019 levels.
Domestic traffic for September 2022 was up 6.9% compared to the year-ago period. Total September 2022 domestic traffic was at 81% of the September 2019 level.
International traffic climbed 122.2% versus September 2021. September 2022 international RPKs reached 69.9% of September 2019 levels. All markets reported strong growth, led by Asia-Pacific, the last major market to reopen.
North American carriers had a 128.9% traffic rise in September versus the 2021 period. Capacity increased 63.0%, and load factor climbed 24.6 percentage points to 85.4%, the highest among the regions for a fourth consecutive month.
"Even with economic and geopolitical uncertainties, the demand for air transport continues to recover ground," said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General.
"The outlier is still China with its pursuit of a zero COVID strategy keeping borders largely closed and creating a demand roller coaster ride for its domestic market, with September being down 46.4% on the previous year. That is in sharp contrast to the rest of Asia-Pacific, which, despite China's dismal performance, posted a 464.8% increase for international traffic compared to the year-ago period."
Walsh says the strong demand is helping the industry cope with "sky high fuel prices."
The IATA leader pointed to the group's 2022 Global Passenger Survey (GPS), which suggests that coming out of the pandemic, travellers want simplification and convenience in their air travel experience.
"That's an important message for airlines but also for airports and governments. They own many of the facilitation processes that let passengers down at some key airports over this year's northern summer travel season," Walsh said.
According to the survey, a majority of passengers want to use biometric data rather than passports for border processes. And 93% of passengers are interested in trusted traveller programs to expedite security screening.
"Modernizing the facilitation experience will not only help alleviate the choke points, it will create a better experience for all," said Walsh.
Topics From This Article to Explore
