IATA: Passenger Demand Remains Strong in June in Spite of Flights Delays

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) shared the news, also noting some markets, such as domestic traffic, increased higher than the rest, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

While the total number of passengers reached 70.8 per cent of 2019 levels in June of 2021, the domestic traffic was up by 5.2 per cent compared to the previous year. More specifically, the recovery noticed in these fields occurred due to the easing of some Omicron-related lockdown restrictions to the Chinese market. In general, the domestic traffic in June of 2022 reached 81.4 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

On the other hand, the international traffic increased by 229.5 per cent compared to the previous year, in addition to Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPKs) reaching 65 per cent of 2019 levels.

“Demand for air travel remains strong. After two years of lockdowns and border restrictions, people are taking advantage of the freedom to travel wherever they can,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, noted.

The traffic of European airlines increased by 234.4 per cent this June compared to the corresponding time in 2021. In addition, capacity surged by 134.5 per cent, and load factor climbed 25.8 percentage points to 86.3 per cent. Most importantly, the international traffic within Europe surpassed the pre-pandemic levels during this season.

The total international market for June 2022 consists of all six regions, with North America (32.6 per cent), Asia Pacific (27.5 per cent) and Europe (25 per cent) having the largest shares. As per RPKs, Europe and Middle Eastern regions recorded the best results, 155.1 per cent and 216.8 per cent, respectively, while Asia (33.7 per cent) and North America (39.2 per cent) recorded the lowest results.

The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) previously shared similar good news for tourism in the world during this period.

“Europe welcomed more than four times as many international arrivals as in the first five months of 2021 (+350 per cent), boosted by strong intra-regional demand and the removal of all travel restrictions in many countries”, UNWTO writes in a statement.

More specifically, UNWTO reveals that 250 million international arrivals have been recorded in the first five months of 2022 – showing that 46 per cent of pre-pandemic levels were recorded already.