The recovery of global air demand continued in July with traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, up 26.2 per cent year over year, according to the International Air Transport Association.
The total represents 95.6 per cent of July 2019 levels, the second-highest such monthly result so far in 2023. May traffic, at 96.1 per cent of May 2019 levels, was the highest. June traffic was 94.2 per cent recovered. Global capacity was up 23.7 per cent versus July 2022, and was at 96.1 per cent of July 2019 levels.
All regions in July reported year-over-year demand increases. Asia-Pacific had the highest growth at 67.1 per cent. Europe reported the lowest increase at 11.7 per cent. Only Latin America and the United States reported demand above 2019 levels, at 3.9 per cent and 2.4 per cent, respectively.
July domestic demand increased 21.5 per cent year over year and was 8.3 per cent above July 2019 results. International traffic was up 29.6 per cent versus a year prior, reaching 88.7 per cent of pre-Covid-19 levels.
"Planes were full during July as people continue to travel in ever greater numbers," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement. "Importantly, forward ticket sales indicate that traveller confidence remains high. And there is every reason to be optimistic about the continuing recovery."
China reported the highest jump in July domestic traffic at 71.9 per cent versus July 2022 and is now 22.5 per cent above 2019 levels, according to IATA. Australia is the only country still lagging 2019 domestic demand results, by 3.1 per cent. Total domestic capacity was up 16.7 per cent year over year, representing a 10.4 per cent increase over July 2019 results.
"The northern hemisphere summer is living up to expectations for very strong traffic demand," Walsh said. "While the industry was largely prepared to accommodate a return to pre-pandemic levels of operations, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our infrastructure providers.
“Performance of some of the key air navigations services providers, for example, has been deeply disappointing for many reasons. … Even more worrying, however, are political decisions by some governments – among them Mexico and the Netherlands – to impose capacity cuts at their major hubs that will most certainly destroy jobs and damage local and national economies,” he added.