Vis-à-vis domestic travel, international air traffic showed a stronger growth in August, mainly due to the summer vacation rush
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced passenger data for August 2022 which shows continued momentum in the air travel recovery. A press release by IATA says that the total air traffic in August 2022, measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs, was 67.7 pc more than August 2021. Globally, IATA says that air traffic is now at 73.7 pc of the levels before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vis-à-vis domestic travel, international air traffic showed a stronger growth in August, mainly due to the summer vacation rush. However, overall the recovery has been stronger in domestic sector that international, says IATA. Domestic traffic for August 2022 was up 26.5 pc compared to the year-ago period and that compared to the traffic in August 2019, this year’s traffic was at 85.4 pc.
In terms of international traffic surged by 115.6 pc in the month versus August 2021, with a good chunk of growth coming in due to airlines in Asia delivering the strongest year-over-year growth rates. However, overall, the international RPKs were still relatively low, at 67.4 pc 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. 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,” says Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
In terms of airline performance, airlines in Asia-Pacific topped with a huge growth of 449.2 pc in August traffic compared to August 2021. Capacity rose 167 pc and the load factor was up to 78.0 pc. But IATA adds that while the region experienced the strongest year-over-year growth, remaining travel restrictions in China continue to hamper the overall recovery for the region. European carriers’ August traffic climbed 78.8 pc versus August 2021. Capacity rose 48.0 pc, and load factor increased to 85.5 pc. The region had the second highest load factor after North America.
Middle Eastern airlines saw their traffic rise by 144.9 pc in August compared to August 2021. Capacity rose 72.2 pc versus the year-ago period, and load factor climbed 23.7 pc to 79.8 pc. Next in terms of growth were the North American carriers that saw a 110.4 pc traffic rise in August versus the 2021 period. Capacity rose 69.7 pc, and load factor climbed 16.9 pc to 87.2 pc, which was the highest among the regions.
IATA adds that this week marks a year since the IATA AGM took the historic decision to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. “Aviation is committed to decarbonizing by 2050, in line with the Paris agreement. And the energy transition required to achieve this must be supported by government policies. That is why there is such great anticipation for the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation to reach agreement on a Long-Term Aspirational Goal on aviation and climate change. The near grounding of aviation during the pandemic highlighted how important aviation is to the modern world. And we will take a giant step towards securing the long-term social and economic benefits of sustainable global connectivity, if the policy-vision of governments is aligned with the industry’s commitment to net zero by 2050,” says Walsh.
