IATA: Passenger traffic continues to recover in November

The airline industry continued to recover in November 2022, according to figures revealed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

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As shown by data provided by the organisation, global air passenger traffic, measured in passenger kilometres carried, grew by 41.3% year-on-year in November and achieved a 75.3% recovery from levels in the same month of 2019, the last year before the pandemic began.

International traffic increased by 85.2% compared to November 2021, benefiting especially from the widespread lifting of restrictions and growth in activity in the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile, domestic traffic grew by 3.4%.

«November’s traffic results confirm that people are fully enjoying the freedom to travel,» said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. «Unfortunately, reactions to China’s decision to reopen its borders in January remind us that many governments continue to use science-based politics in relation to COVID-19 and travel», he added.

According to Walsh, «the reinstatement of testing for travellers from China can do little to contain a virus that is already present around the world». He said: «Governments should focus on the measures available to them for effective management of COVID-19, such as treatment and vaccination, rather than pursuing measures that have proven to be a dismal failure for three years».

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International passenger air transport by region during November 2022

• Airlines from Asia-Pacific: 373.9% year-on-year growth, best performance globally. Capacity increased 159.2% and occupancy rate rose 35.9 percentage points to 79.2%.
• Airlines from Europe: 45.3% year-on-year growth. Capacity grew by 25.1% and occupancy rate rose 11.6 percentage points to 83.6%.
• Airlines from the Middle East: 84.6% year-on-year growth. Capacity increased 45.4% and occupancy rate rose 16.5 percentage points to 77.7%.
• Airlines from North America: 69.9% year-on-year growth. Capacity grew 45.5% and occupancy rate rose 11.6 percentage points to 81%.
• Airlines from Latin America: 59.2% year-on-year growth. Capacity increased 55.6% and occupancy rate rose 1.9 percentage points to 82.9%.
• Airlines from Africa: 83.5% year-on-year growth. Capacity grew by 48.4% and occupancy rate rose by 14.2 percentage points to 74.3%.

Domestic passenger air transport during November 2022

The United States, which recorded 5% year-on-year growth in November, accounted for 25.6% of global domestic traffic. The American market achieved a 99% recovery compared to the same month in 2019. It was followed by China, with a 17.8% share.

The Indian market, which maintains strong growth prospects for the near future, reported a year-on-year rise of 11.1% and accounted for 2.1% of total traffic. On the other hand, Australia and Japan recorded notable increases in domestic air passenger traffic of 190% and 37.3%, respectively.

In Latin America, Brazil continued to lead the recovery: the domestic market, which accounted for 1.9% of the global total, grew by 5.1% year-on-year in November and reported activity levels of 96.2% compared to the same month in 2019.

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