The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says August statistics revealed continued momentum in the air travel recovery. Total traffic in August 2022 was up 67.7% compared to August 2021. Globally, traffic is now at 73.7% of pre-crisis levels.
Domestic traffic for August 2022 was up 26.5% compared to the year-ago period. Total August 2022 domestic traffic was at 85.4% of the August 2019 level.
International traffic rose 115.6% versus August 2021 with airlines in Asia delivering the strongest year-over-year growth rates. August 2022 international traffic reached 67.4% of August 2019 levels.
"The Northern Hemisphere peak summer travel season finished on a high note. Considering the prevailing economic uncertainties, travel demand is progressing well," said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General.
"And the removal or easing of travel restrictions at some key Asian destinations, including Japan, will certainly accelerate the recovery in Asia. The mainland of China is the last major market retaining severe COVID-19 entry restrictions."
The Asia-Pacific market is heating up, with airlines there reporting a 449.2% rise in August traffic compared to August 2021. Capacity rose 167.0% and the load factor was up 40.1 percentage points to 78.0%. While the region experienced the strongest year-over-year growth, IATA says remaining travel restrictions in China continue to hamper overall recovery for the region.
North American carriers saw a 110.4% traffic rise in August versus the 2021 period. Capacity rose 69.7%, and load factor climbed 16.9 percentage points to 87.2%, which was the highest among the regions.
European carriers' August traffic climbed 78.8% versus August 2021. Capacity rose 48.0%, and load factor increased 14.7 percentage points to 85.5%. The region had the second highest load factor after North America.
Latin American airlines' August traffic rose 102.5% compared to the same month in 2021. August capacity rose 80.8% and load factor increased 8.9 percentage points to 83.5%.
Topics From This Article to Explore
