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Passenger demand jumped 76% in March; Asia-Pacific airlines languishing last on COVID recovery table
May 5th 2022
International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general, Willie Walsh, said the long expected surge in pent-up demand for travel is finally being realized as the barriers to travel are gradually lowered around the world. Read More » Figures from the airline lobby group show passenger demand, measured by revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), rose 76% in March compared with the same month in 2021. Capacity, or available seat kilometres (ASK), was up 46% year-on-year. “The ongoing recovery in air travel is excellent news for the global economy, for friends and families whose forced separations are being ended and for the millions of people who depend on air transport for their livelihoods," Walsh said. "Unfortunately, we also are seeing long delays at many airports because there are insufficient resources available to handle the growing numbers of air travellers. This must be addressed urgently to avoid frustrating consumer enthusiasm for air travel." The Asia-Pacific was the only region in the IATA report to record a decline in RPKs (down 17.9%) and ASKs (down 14.9%) as China's domestic market has been severely impacted by the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the reported month.
