Cruising Altitude: Global Air Travel Tops 99% Of 2019 Levels

by Bruce Parkinson
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Wed January 10, 2024

It took a while, but global air travel is finally reaching pre-pandemic level. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released data for November 2023 indicating that air travel demand topped 99% of 2019 levels.
 
Total traffic in November 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 29.7% compared to November 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 99.1% of November 2019 levels.

Planes on runway at New York's JFK airport. (photo via XavierMarchant / iStock / Getty Images Plus)

International traffic rose 26.4% versus November 2022. The Asia-Pacific region continued to report the strongest year-over-year results (+63.8%) with all regions showing improvement compared to the prior year. November 2023 international RPKs reached 94.5% of November 2019 levels. 

Domestic traffic for November 2023 was up 34.8% compared to November 2022. Total November 2023 domestic traffic was 6.7% above the November 2019 level. Growth was particularly strong in China (+272%) as it recovered from the COVID travel restrictions that were still in place a year ago.

U.S. domestic travel, benefitting from strong Thanksgiving holidays demand, reached a new high, expanding +9.1% over November 2019.

Willie Walsh, director general de la Asociación de Transporte Aéreo Internacional (IATA, por sus siglas en inglés). (Photo Credit: Asociación de Transporte Aéreo Internacional)

“We are moving ever closer to surpassing the 2019 peak year for air travel. Economic headwinds are not deterring people from taking to the skies. International travel remains 5.5% below pre-pandemic levels but that gap is rapidly closing. And domestic markets have been above their pre-pandemic levels continuously since April,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

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