IATA: Global Domestic Air Traffic Back on Track in April

Global domestic air traffic picked up pace in April increasing by 42.6 percent compared to the same month a year ago posting full recovery and up by 2.9 percent over April 2019 levels, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA) this week.

At the same time, total traffic in April rose by 45.8 percent over the same month in 2022 reaching 90.5 percent of pre-Covid 2019 levels. Industry load factor was 1.8 percentage point below pre-pandemic level at 81.3 percent.

According to the latest IATA data, international traffic rose by 48.0 percent compared to April 2022 with all markets recording healthy growth. Leading the way, airlines in the Asia-Pacific region with airlines marking a 192.7 percent increase in April 2023 traffic compared to April 2022.

In Europe, carriers reported a 22.6 percent traffic increase compared to April 2022 with capacity up by 16.0 percent and load factor by 4.5 percentage points to 83.3 percent – the second highest among the regions.

“April continued the strong traffic trend we saw in the 2023 first quarter. The easing of inflation and rising consumer confidence in most OECD countries combined with declining jet fuel prices, suggests sustained strong air travel demand and moderating cost pressures,” said Willie Walsh, IATA director general.

Meanwhile, North American carriers saw traffic rise by 34.8 percent in April compared to the same month a year ago. Capacity increased by 26.5 percent and load factor by 5.2 percentage points to 83.8 percent, the highest among the regions. North American international traffic is now fully recovered, said IATA.

Domestic demand for US airlines also increased by 5.5 percent in April and was 3.3 percent above pre-Covid 2019 levels for the same month.

“Airlines are working hard to accommodate travelers with a smooth travel experience despite continuing supply chain shortages and other operational challenges,” said Walsh. He went on to add that “the single best thing that Europe could do to improve the travel experience is deliver the Single European Sky”.

According to Walsh, regulation and other key issues, including sustainability, will be on the agenda of the 79th IATA Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit to take place in Istanbul on June 4-6.