International recovery stalls in August despite full aircraft

Australia’s international aviation recovery stalled in August, with passenger numbers stubbornly remaining 45 per cent down on pre-pandemic 2019. However, there was positive news as aircraft remained at near-record levels of being full. So-called ‘seat utilisation’ was at 83% – a similar level as 2019 and only 3% lower than in July. It comes despite domestic aviation returning to near-normal numbers, highlighting how the wider industry is struggling to balance resourcing against two very different recoveries. New BITRE data from the Department of Transport shows that passenger traffic in August was at 1.970m compared to 3.569m in August 2019. This compares to 2.057m in July 2022 vs 3.736m in the equivalent month in 2019. The difference between the two months this year, vs 2019, registered at just 0.1%. The data mirrors a recent release from Melbourne Airport and appears to back up predictions from Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff that total travel volumes won’t surpass to 2019 levels until 2025. “Airlines need time to restart — some countries are still closed or have restrictions — and we need to rebuild the confidence of passengers to get on flights again,” he said. “However, I am confident that we will see, from 2025 onwards, volumes that will exceed 2019 levels."<br/>