Global air travel booming – IATA

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated on Wednesday that global passenger airline traffic continued its post-Covid recovery in July, spurred by soaring demand on the Chinese domestic market.

According to the news release, global aviation traffic increased by 26.2% in July when measured in revenue passenger kilometres (the number of passengers multiplied by the distance travelled). According to the IATA, global traffic is at 95.6% of pre-Covid levels.

Domestic aircraft transport increased 21.5% vs July 2022 and was 8.3% higher than July 2019 statistics, owing to strong demand in China.

The global air transport industry’s passenger load factor (the percentage of full seats) hit 85.7%, the highest monthly international figure ever recorded.

“Planes were packed in July as people continued to travel in record numbers.” Importantly, forward ticket sales show that traveller confidence is still high. And there are many reasons to be positive about the ongoing recovery,” said Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA.

Asia-Pacific airlines increased traffic by 105.8% in July 2023 compared to July 2022, continuing to lead the area. According to the survey, they were followed by African, Latin American, and Middle Eastern airlines, as well as North American and European carriers.