Global air travel demand in November 2023 reached 99.1% of November 2019 levels, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has revealed in its latest report. It also found that revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) rose 29.7% in November 2023, year on year.
“We are moving ever closer to surpassing the 2019 peak year for air travel,” said IATA director general Willie Walsh. He added: “international travel remains 5.5% below pre-pandemic levels but that gap is rapidly closing.”
International traffic rose 26.4% year on year in November 2023, and reaching 94.5% of November 2019 levels. The Asia-Pacific region was credited for the international traffic increase with it having the strongest year over year results at a 63.8% increase, and all regions showing improvements in comparison to the year prior.
Meanwhile, domestic traffic rose 34.8% year on year and was 6.7% above 2019. China’s recovery from the Covid pandemic and the dissolution of travel restrictions largely pushed this increase, with the domestic travel in China increasing by 272%. Furthermore, US domestic travel increased by 9.1% in November 2023 in comparison to November 2019 as the Thanksgiving holiday demand created a surge in demand.