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Global passenger demand gained ground in September; IATA monthly monitor
November 8th 2022
International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general, Willie Walsh, said passenger demand continued to recover in September except in China. Read More » Figures from the airline lobby association show revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) rose 57% in September compared with the same month in 2021. The RPK improvement in the Asia-Pacific was 51.9%. “Even with economic and geopolitical uncertainties, the demand for air transport continues to recover ground,” Walsh said. “The outlier is still China. Its zero-COVID strategy is keeping borders largely closed and creating a demand roller coaster ride for its domestic market with September down 46.4% over the previous year. The Mainland market is in sharp contrast to the rest of the Asia-Pacific. Despite China’s dismal performance, the region posted a 464.8% increase in international traffic compared with the year-ago period.” Domestic traffic was at 81% of pre-COVID-19 levels and international revenue passenger kilometres reached 69.9% against September 2019, IATA said.
