Welcome boost for air travel sector, with higher passenger data levels in October
Forward bookings signal continuing recovery
Figures from the International Air Travel Association (IATA) illustrate a positive trend for air travel.
Total traffic in October 2022, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), rose 44.6 per cent compared to the previous year. Air traffic globally is now at 74.2 per cent of October 2019 levels, before the pandemic.
But domestic travel was down 0.8 per cent compared to October 2021, due to strict Covid-19 travel restrictions in China, which has affected global numbers. October 2022 domestic traffic was at 77.9 per cent of the October 2019 level. Additionally, forward bookings for domestic travel remain at around 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
International traffic has seen a 102.4 per cent increase against October 2021. This means that October 2022 international RPKs reached 72.1 per cent of October 2019 levels, with all markets showing strong growth, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. International travel forward bookings also increased to around 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, after the reopening of multiple Asian economies.
Willie Walsh, IATA Director General, said: “Traditionally, by October we are into the slower autumn travel season in the Northern Hemisphere, so it is highly reassuring to see demand and forward bookings continuing to be so strong. It bodes well for the coming winter season and the ongoing recovery.”