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The International Air Transport Association has released data for November 2023 air travel performance indicating that air travel demand topped 99 per cent of 2019 levels.
Total traffic in November 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 29.7 per cent compared to November 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 99.1 per cent of November 2019 levels.
International traffic rose 26.4 per cent versus November 2022. The Asia-Pacific region continued to report the strongest year-over-year results (+63.8 per cent) with all regions showing improvement compared to the prior year. November 2023 international RPKs reached 94.5 per cent of November 2019 levels.
Domestic traffic for November 2023 was up 34.8 per cent compared to November 2022. Total November 2023 domestic traffic was 6.7 per cent above the November 2019 level.
Growth was particularly strong in China (+272 per cent) as it recovered from the COVID travel restrictions that were still in place a year ago. US domestic travel, benefitting from strong Thanksgiving holidays demand, reached a new high, expanding +9.1 per cent over November 2019.
“We are moving ever closer to surpassing the 2019 peak year for air travel,” says IATA director general Willie Walsh.
“Economic headwinds are not deterring people from taking to the skies. International travel remains 5.5 per cent below pre-pandemic levels but that gap is rapidly closing. And domestic markets have been above their pre-pandemic levels continuously since April.”
Asia-Pacific airlines had a 63.8 per cent rise in November traffic compared to November 2022, which was the strongest year-over-year rate among the regions. Capacity rose 58.0 per cent and the load factor was up 2.9 percentage points to 82.6 per cent.
“Aviation’s rapid recovery from COVID demonstrates just how important flying is to people and to businesses,” says Willie.
“In parallel to aviation’s recovery, governments recognized the urgency of transitioning from jet fuel to Sustainable Aviation Fuel for aviation’s decarbonisation. The Third Conference on Aviation Alternative Fuels (CAAF/3) in November saw governments agree that we should see 5 per cent carbon savings by 2030 from SAF. This was followed up at COP28 in December where governments agreed that we need a broad transition from fossil fuels to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
“Airlines don’t need convincing. They agreed to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and every drop of SAF ever made in that effort has been bought and used. There simply is not enough SAF being produced. So we look to 2024 to be the year when governments follow-up on their own declarations and finally deliver comprehensive policy measures to incentivize the rapid scaling-up of SAF production.”
