Global air traffic reached 68.5% of its pre-COVID-19 pandemic level in 2022, marked by a significant rebound in international traffic and strong regional disparities, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) announced on Monday. . Measured in revenue passenger-kilometres (RPK), one of the industry benchmarks, domestic traffic increased 10.9% over the prior year.
Domestic routes have returned to 79.6% of their 2019 level, the last full year before the pandemic that caused multiple travel restrictions around the world, according to statistics published by the body that groups 300 airlines, which represents 83% of world traffic.
Domestic traffic is on track to return to its pre-crisis level in Latin America (-0.5% compared to 2019), Europe (-3.1%) and North America (-6.3%), but lagged behind in Asia-Pacific (-40.3%). %) due to prolonged travel restrictions, and in particular within the massive Chinese market. The “zero Covid” policy that has continued in China through early December had prompted Iata to lower its estimate of passenger traffic for the year worldwide for that month, to 70.6% of the 2019 level, down from 82.4% previously forecast. It should return to 85.5% of the pre-crisis level in 2023, according to her.
A dynamic that should persist in 2023
International traffic, which had been the most affected, multiplied by 2.5 in 2022 and reached 62.2% of its 2019 level. Here again, if most of the continents have recovered three quarters of their market Prior to the crisis, Asia-Pacific was still down 68.2% compared to 2019.
“This momentum is likely to continue into the new year despite some governments’ overreactions to China’s reopening,” he said. Many countries have imposed covid tests on travelers from China, where there was a significant epidemic rebound after the end of the restrictions, a practice described as “impulsive” and “ineffective” by Iata.
Source: BFM TV
