KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Total air passenger traffic in April 2023 rose 45.8 per cent compared to April 2022, with the current global traffic standing at 90.5 per cent of pre-Covid-19 levels, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The association said domestic traffic for April this year rose 42.6 per cent compared to the year-ago period and has now fully recovered, posting a 2.9 per cent increase over the April 2019 results.
“International traffic climbed 48 per cent versus April 2022 with all markets recording healthy growth, with carriers in the Asia-Pacific region continuing to lead the recovery,” it said in a statement, adding that international revenue passenger kilometres reached 83.6 per cent of April 2019 levels.
IATA director-general Willie Walsh said April continued the strong traffic trend seen in the first quarter of 2023 and that the easing of inflation as well as rising consumer confidence, combined with declining jet fuel prices, suggest sustained strong air travel demand and moderating cost pressures.
“In just a few days, leaders of the global aviation community will gather in Istanbul at the 79th IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit.
“Regulation and other key issues, including the critical topic of sustainability, will be on the agenda,” said Walsh.
As for Asia-Pacific airlines, IATA said it saw a 192.7 per cent increase in April 2023 traffic compared to April 2022, while capacity climbed 145.3 per cent and the load factor increased by 13.2 percentage points to 81.6 per cent.
“Furthermore, traffic within Asia also showed positive momentum, reaching 55.6 per cent of pre-pandemic levels,” it said.
It noted that European carriers had a 22.6 per cent traffic rise versus April 2022 and capacity rose 16.0 per cent, while load factor climbed 4.5 percentage points to 83.3 per cent, which was the second highest among the regions.
Meanwhile, the association said Middle Eastern airlines posted a 38.0 per cent traffic increase and North American carriers’ traffic climbed 34.8 per cent in April 2023 versus the 2022 period.
— Bernama
