The number of kilometres travelled by air travellers rose by 57 percent in September compared to a year ago. Therefore, air traffic recovery after the corona pandemic remains robust, reports the international aviation sector organization IATA.
However, global demand for air cargo fell by 10.6 percent in September due to the deteriorating economic outlook in many major economies. While consumers are spending more on air travel, high inflation and high energy bills have made them more cautious about another spending.
Worldwide air traffic is almost three-quarters of the level of September 2019, just before the outbreak of the corona pandemic. International flights, in particular, increased, and passenger traffic was almost 70 percent of 2019 levels in September. “Even with economic and geopolitical qualms, the demand for air transport endures to increase,” said IATA director Willie Walsh. In addition, the strong demand for tickets is helping the industry deal with skyrocketing fuel prices, he says.
Total domestic traffic grew nearly 7 percent, reaching 81 percent from September 2019 levels. Most of the major domestic markets continue to deliver strong results. However, new corona restrictions in China caused a sharp drop in domestic traffic. In contrast, the rest of the Asian countries, where corona measures were relaxed, showed the most substantial growth in aviation.
In Europe, air traffic increased by almost 80 percent compared to a year ago, and in North America, it increased by 129 percent. As a result, the bookings offer an optimistic outlook for international and domestic passenger traffic in the coming months, according to IATA, despite the macroeconomic headwind.
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