The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the recovery in air travel continued in December 2023, and that total air travel traffic for 2023 approached levels before the “Covid-19” pandemic.
The Federation reported that global passenger traffic for the entire year 2023 reached 94.1% of pre-pandemic levels (2019). Total passenger traffic for December 2023 also increased by 25.3% compared to December 2022, and reached 97.5% over the level of December 2019. In turn, air travel traffic in the fourth quarter recorded 98.2% of 2019, reflecting the strong recovery at the end of the year.
According to IATA, airlines in the Middle East witnessed an increase in travel traffic by 33.3% in 2023 compared to 2022. Capacity increased by 26.0%, while demand in December increased by 16.6% compared to the same month in 2022.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh said: “The strong recovery continued in 2023. Traffic in December was just 2.5% below 2019 levels, with a strong performance in the fourth quarter, encouraging airlines to return.” to normal growth patterns in 2024.
He added: “The recovery in travel is good news, in order to strengthen the global economy, as people travel to do business, continue their education, travel on vacations, and much more.”
According to IATA, airlines in Asia-Pacific recorded a 126.1% increase in international traffic for the whole of 2023 compared to 2022, maintaining the strongest year-on-year rate among the regions. European airline air traffic for the full year also rose by 22% compared to 2022, and capacity increased by 17.5%.
As for airlines in North America, they recorded an annual increase in traffic by 28.3%, while airlines in Latin America recorded an increase of 28.6%.
For its part, the annual traffic of African airlines increased by 38.7%, and domestic travel traffic in China increased by 138.8% compared to 2022.
2024-02-04 22:06:20
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