IATA: Air passenger traffic up 31% in June 2023

Total air passenger traffic in June 2023 grew by 31% year-on-year as the post-Covid recovery momentum continued, reaching 94.2% of the pre-pandemic levels, says the IATA. The association said that for the first half of 2023, global revenue passenger-kilometres (RPKs) was up 47.2% compared to the year-ago period, although recovery trends varied across regions. “Domestic traffic increased 27.2% y-o-y in June, surpassing pre-pandemic RPKs by 5.1%. This result was driven by the robust performance of major domestic markets,” it said in its latest passenger market analysis report. IATA said total international RPKs grew 33.7% from June 2022 levels, maintaining the strong recovery seen this year. “Notably, Asia-Pacific carriers sustained their growth momentum, buoyed by the region’s resilient air travel demand,” it added. IATA DG Willie Walsh said the northern summer travel season got off to a strong start in June with double-digit demand growth and average load factors topping 84%. “Planes are full, which is good news for airlines, local economies, and travel and tourism-dependent jobs. All benefit from the industry’s ongoing recovery,” he said in a statement.<br/>