The International Air Transport Association announced that the recovery in air travel continued in December 2022 and for the full year.
Total traffic in 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 64.4 per cent compared to 2021.
Globally, full year 2022 traffic was at 68.5 per cent of pre-pandemic (2019) levels.
December 2022 total traffic rose 39.7 per cent compared to December 2021 and reached 76.9 per cent of the December 2019 level.
International traffic in 2022 climbed 152.7 per cent versus 2021 and reached 62.2 per cent of 2019 levels.
December 2022 international traffic climbed 80.2 per cent over December 2021, reaching 75.1 per cent of the level in December 2019.
Domestic traffic for 2022 rose 10.9 per cent compared to the prior year.
2022 domestic traffic was at 79.6 per cent of the full year 2019 level. December 2022 domestic traffic was up 2.6 per cent over the year earlier period and was at 79.9 per cent of December 2019 traffic.
“The industry left 2022 in far stronger shape than it entered, as most governments lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions during the year and people took advantage of the restoration of their freedom to travel,” says IATA director-general Willie Walsh.
“This momentum is expected to continue in the New Year, despite some governments’ over-reactions to China’s re-opening.”
International Passenger Markets
Asia-Pacific airlines posted a 363.3 per cent rise in full year international 2022 traffic compared to 2021, maintaining the strongest year-over-year rate among the regions. Capacity rose 129.9 per cent and the load factor climbed 37.3 percentage points to 74.0 per cent. December 2022 traffic rose 302.7 per cent compared to December 2021.
European carriers’ full year traffic climbed 132.2 per cent versus 2021. Capacity increased 84.0 per cent, and load factor rose 16.7 percentage points to 80.6 per cent. For December, demand climbed 46.5 per cent compared to the same month in 2021.
Middle Eastern airlines saw a 157.4 per cent traffic rise in 2022 compared to 2021. Capacity increased 73.8 per cent and load factor climbed 24.6 percentage points to 75.8 per cent. December demand climbed 69.8 per cent compared to the same month in 2021.
North American carriers reported a 130.2 per cent annual traffic rise in 2022 compared to 2021. Capacity increased 71.3 per cent, and load factor climbed 20.7 percentage points to 80.8 per cent. December 2022 traffic rose 61.3 per cent compared to the year-ago period.
Latin American airlines posted a 119.2 per cent traffic rise in 2022 over full year 2021. Annual capacity climbed 93.3 per cent and load factor increased 9.7 percentage points to 82.2 per cent, the highest among the regions. December demand climbed 37.0 per cent compared to December 2021.
African airlines’ annual traffic rose 89.2 per cent in 2022 versus the prior year. Full year 2022 capacity was up 51.0 per cent and load factor climbed 14.5 percentage points to 71.7 per cent, the lowest among regions. December 2022 traffic for African airlines rose 118.8 per cent over the year-earlier period.
The Bottom Line
“Let us hope that 2022 becomes known as the year in which governments locked away forever the regulatory shackles that kept their citizens earthbound for so long,” says Willie.
“It is vital that governments learn the lesson that travel restrictions and border closures have little positive impact in terms of slowing the spread of infectious diseases in our globally inter-connected world.
“However, they have an enormous negative impact on people’s lives and livelihoods, as well as on the global economy that depends on the unfettered movement of people and goods.”
