International passenger numbers jumped 60% in March

Nearly 700,000 international passengers passed through Australian airports in March 2022, an uptick of 60% compared to February. It marked the first full month in which fully vaccinated tourists from around the globe were once again allowed to visit Australia, after the federal government lifted restrictions for tourists from 21 February. It’s a significant result after February saw 436,000 international passengers pass through Australian airports, while 442,000 did so in January, according to the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE). However, despite the strong result, March’s figures still remain 78.8% lower than that of March 2019 – prior to the COVID pandemic – in which 3.2m passengers travelled to or from Australia. Of the 697, 969 international travellers at Australian airports in March, 54 per cent were arrivals into the country. Singapore Airlines continued to make up the largest share of Australia’s international travel market in March, carrying 18.9% of all passengers, followed by Qantas with 14.6%, Emirates with 14.0%, and Air New Zealand with 9.4%.<br/>