The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recently reported that European carriers witnessed an increase of 13.8% in traffic in the month of July of 2023.
This surge was recorded in comparison to the number reported in the same time period in 2022, which is indicative of post-coronavirus pandemic recovery for passenger markets.
IATA report details
As per the latest report published by IATA in September, the total traffic in July went up by 26.2%, in comparison to the same month of the previous year.
Meanwhile, global traffic currently stands at 95.6% of the numbers recorded prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Where domestic traffic is concerned, the report stated a 21.5% increase in the seventh month of 2023 as compared to the corresponding period of 2022.
On the other hand, the July 2023 figure showed a surge of 8.3% when compared to the results of July 2019.
The international market showed an increase on various fronts. But passenger traffic went up by more than 29% in July 2023 compared to the same month in the previous year.
IATA Director General
According to Willie Walsh, the Director General of IATA, planes were fully booked as people continued to travel in even greater numbers than in previous years.
Moreover, he indicated that tickets have been selling in advance, which is an indicator that traveler confidence remains strong.
Consequently, the Director General added that countries should remain optimistic about leaving the aftereffects of the pandemic far behind.
Surge in traffic
Europe was not the only continent that experienced an increase in passenger traffic. The number of travelers has been significantly rising in other regions as well.
The Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, North America, and Africa reported that their airlines recorded a surge in passenger traffic as well.
Asia-Pacific reported that it had a 105.8% increase in traveler traffic in July 2023, as compared to the same time the previous year.
A statement from the relevant authorities in Asia Pacific further revealed that capacity went up by 96.2%, while the load factor recorded a surge of 3.9%. Consequently, the load factor stood at 84.5% overall.
Meanwhile, Middle Eastern airlines recorded an increase of 22.6% in air traffic in the month of July of this year. This figure indicated a growth in capacity of all such airlines by 22.1%.
At the same time, airlines in North America registered an increase of 17.7%, while Latin American carriers reported an increase of 25.3% in passenger traffic in July of 2023 in comparison to the previous year.
The load factors in Latin America further showed a growth of 2.9%, with the final figure standing at 89.1%.
Where African airlines are concerned, the numbers revealed a surge of more than 25% in the month of July alone, in comparison to the numbers recorded in the same month in the previous year.
On the other hand, China also reported that its domestic traffic went up by over 71% in comparison to the corresponding period a year ago.
This number also indicated a 22.5% increase in statistics from July 2019.
