IATA Chief Sees Strong Air Travel Momentum into the New Year

Photo source: IATA

As air traffic continues to cover lost ground following the Covid 2019 pandemic, International Air Transport Association (IATA) is expecting the upward dynamic to continue into the new year.

More specifically, total traffic in September 2023 increased by 30.1 percent over the same month a year ago with traffic worldwide now at 97.3 percent of pre-Covid levels.

“With the end of 2023 fast approaching, we can look back on a year of strong recovery in demand as passengers took full advantage of their freedom to travel. There is every reason to believe that this momentum can be maintained in the New Year, despite economic and political uncertainties in parts of the world,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh.

International traffic in September rose by 31.2 percent compared to the same month a year ago with all markets marking double-digit percentage gains year on year. International traffic reached 93.1 percent of September 2019 levels.

Domestic traffic meanwhile hit a new high in September with traffic up by 28.3 percent compared to September 2022 while exceeding September 2019 by 5.0 percent.

“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,” said Walsh.

Looking at international passenger markets, September traffic for European airlines grew by 15.7 percent compared to same month in 2022 with capacity up by 14.9 percent and load factor by 0.6 percentage points to 85.5 percent.

North American carriers marked an 18.9 percent traffic rise in September compared to the same month in 2022 with capacity up by 18.0 percent and load factor by 0.6 percentage points to 85.6 percent.

IATA Director General Willie Walsh. Photo source: IATA

Walsh went on to add that the value chain must be fully prepared to handle the demand that is coming in 2024.

“Supply chain issues in the aircraft manufacturing sector are unacceptable. They have held back the recovery and solutions must be found. The same holds true for infrastructure providers, particularly air navigation service providers. Equipment failures, staffing shortages and labor unrest made it impossible to deliver the flying experience our customers expect,” he said.