admin In a remarkable recovery, global air passenger traffic witnessed robust growth in May, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The industry’s global representative body reported a remarkable year-on-year increase of 39.1% in total air passenger traffic for the month. Both domestic and international travel experienced significant surges, with domestic traffic rising by 36.4% and international traffic soaring by 40.9%.
Assessing Figures
Director-General of IATA, Willie Walsh, expressed enthusiasm about the positive developments in May, emphasising that aeroplanes operated at high capacity, with average load factors reaching 81.8%. He further highlighted the remarkable growth in domestic markets, heralding the impending busy Northern summer travel season as international demand reached 90.8% of pre-pandemic levels.
Regions Showing Promise
Among the regions, the Asia-Pacific demonstrated the most substantial year-on-year increase in air travel demand, skyrocketing by an astounding 130.4% in May. Following closely, Africa experienced a noteworthy jump of 38.6%, while the Middle East reported a growth of 30.1%. North America witnessed a steady increase of 28.8%, while Europe and Latin America demonstrated growth rates of 19.1% and 16.2%, respectively.
Focusing on international air travel, the Asia-Pacific region continued to lead the way with an unprecedented year-on-year demand surge of 156.7% in May. The region also witnessed a capacity increase of 136.1%, accompanied by a commendable load factor of 80%. African carriers secured the second spot with demand surging by 45.2% and capacity increasing by 44.2%, although their load factor remained the lowest among all regions, at 68.8%. North America ranked third with a substantial demand increase of 31%, a capacity surge of 23.2%, and the highest load factor among all regions at 85.1%. Notably, North American carriers managed to surpass their pre-Covid-19 international passenger levels.
Middle East airlines claimed the fourth position in terms of year-on-year air passenger demand growth in May, reporting an increase of 30.8%. Their capacity rose by 25%, and the load factor reached a commendable 80.2%. Middle East operators also exceeded their pre-pandemic international travel passenger figures. Latin America experienced a notable traffic rise of 26.3% and capacity increase of 27.2%, though the load factor decreased slightly to 83.8% due to a faster rise in capacity than demand. European carriers observed a demand increase of 19.8% and a capacity rise of 14.2%, resulting in a load factor of 84.4%.
Among the six major domestic air travel markets, China stood out with an astonishing year-on-year growth of 312% in May. Japan followed with a substantial 39% surge, while India recorded a growth rate of 13.6%. Brazil exhibited an increase of 8.6%, whereas the US and Australia saw more modest rises of 7.1% and 2.1%, respectively. Brazil became the latest country to surpass pre-Covid domestic market levels, achieving a remarkable 6.5% increase compared to May 2019. Japan’s domestic demand nearly reached pre-pandemic levels, reaching 99.8% of its former figures.
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