TBM Staff - Mumbai The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the post-COVID recovery momentum continued in June for passenger markets. Indian airlines’ domestic demand climbed 14.8% in June and was 1.3% above the June 2019 level.
The total traffic in June 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 31.0% compared to June 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 94.2% of pre-COVID levels. For the first half of 2023, total traffic was up 47.2% compared to the year-ago period.
Domestic traffic for June rose 27.2% compared to the same month a year ago and was 5.1% above the June 2019 results. Domestic demand was up 33.3% in the 2023 first half compared to a year ago.
Asia-Pacific airlines had a 128.1% increase in June 2023 traffic compared to June 2022, easily the largest percentage gain among the regions. Capacity climbed 115.6% and the load factor increased by 4.6 percentage points to 82.9%.
International traffic climbed 33.7% versus June 2022 with all markets showing robust growth. International RPKs reached 88.2% of June 2019 levels. First half 2023 international traffic was up 58.6% over the first half of 2022.
“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,” said Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA.
“As strong as travel demand has been, arguably it could be even stronger. Demand is outrunning capacity growth. Well documented problems in the aviation supply chain mean that many airlines have not taken delivery of all the new, more environmentally friendly aircraft they had expected, while numerous aircraft are parked awaiting critical spare parts. And, for the fleet that is in service, some air navigation service providers (ANSPs) are failing to deliver the requisite capacity and resilience to meet travel demand. Delays and trimmed schedules are frustrating for both passengers and their airlines. Governments cannot continue to ignore the accountability of ANSPs in places where passenger rights regimes place the brunt of accountability on airlines,” added Walsh.
