The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that strong demand growth in air travel continued during March 2023.
Total traffic in March 2023 rose 52.4% compared to March 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 88.0% of March 2019 levels.
The return to pre-pandemic flying levels is nearly complete in domestic markets, where traffic for March rose 34.1% compared to the year-ago period. Total March 2023 domestic traffic was at 98.9% of the March 2019 level.
International traffic climbed 68.9% versus March 2022 with all markets recording healthy growth, led once again by carriers in the Asia-Pacific region. International traffic reached 81.6% of March 2019 levels while the load factor at 81.3% exceeded the March 2019 level by 10.1 percentage points.
"The calendar year first quarter ended on a strong note for air travel demand," said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General.
"Domestic markets have been near their pre-pandemic levels for months. And for international travel two key waypoints were topped. First, demand increased by 3.5 percentage points compared to the previous month's growth, to reach 81.6% of pre-COVID levels. This was led by a near-tripling of demand for Asia-Pacific carriers as China's re-opening took hold. And efficiency is improving as international load factors reached 81.3%," Walsh added.
IATA says the future looks strong, with ticket sales for both domestic and international travel giving every indication that strong growth will continue into the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season.
North American carriers' traffic climbed 51.6% in March 2023 versus the 2022 period. Capacity increased 34.0%, and load factor rose 9.8 percentage points to 84.8%, the highest among the regions.
Topics From This Article to Explore
