Recent data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed that September of this year witnessed post-pandemic solid growth in passenger traffic, thus marking a 30.1 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Such data also show that the current level of traffic stands at 97.3 per cent of the pre-COVID levels, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The same source further points out that during September 2023, domestic traffic reached a record high, marking a 28.3 per cent surge compared to the same month last year, surpassing the September 2019 level by five per cent.
At the same time, international traffic also saw an increase of 31.2 per cent compared to September 2022, with all markets registering double-digit percentage gains. As a result, International Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs) reached 93.1 per cent of the levels observed in September 2019.
The third quarter of 2023 ended on a high note, with record domestic passenger demand for the month of September and continued strong international traffic.
According to IATA’s figures, Asia-Pacific airlines maintained their lead in annual improvement with a total of 92.6 per cent growth in traffic in September 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. The region also experienced an 82.1 per cent rise in capacity, resulting in a 4.5 percentage points increase in the load factor, reaching 82.5 per cent.
During the same period, European carriers witnessed a notable 15.7 per cent growth in traffic compared to 2022. In this regard, capacity increased by 14.9 per cent, contributing to a 0.6 percentage points uptick in the load factor, achieving 85.5 per cent.
As IATA explains, Middle Eastern airlines also reported a total of 26.6 per cent surge in September traffic year-on-year, with capacity rising by 23.7 per cent. Meanwhile, the load factor increased by 1.9 percentage points, reaching 81.8 per cent.
Based on the previous report from IATA, August 2023 marked a notable increase in passenger traffic of 28.4 per cent compared to last year. The data also revealed that overall traffic reached 95.7 per cent of pre-COVID levels during that period.
IATA highlighted the significant increase in domestic traffic, which rosed by 25.4 per cent in August 2023 compared to the same month in 2022, surpassing the August 2019 figures by an impressive 9.2 per cent. This suggests a strong recovery trend in the aviation industry after the challenges posed by the pandemic.