Despite the war in Ukraine and restrictions on travel to and from China due to the coronavirus, global air traffic has shown a strong recovery trend in April, largely driven by international demand. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the full-scale resumption of flights during the war in Ukraine.
According to the latest IATA press release, the total demand for air transportation in April 2022 increased by 78.7% compared to April 2021, and shortly before it increased by 76% year on year in March 2022. Here is what has been stated in the message of the association: “April domestic air traffic decreased by 1% compared to the same period last year, which indicates an increase in demand by 10.6% in March. This was entirely due to strict restrictions on travel in China, where domestic traffic fell by 80.8% year on year.
As for domestic traffic, in April 2022 they fell by 25.8% compared to April of the 2019 forecast. IATA also reported that demand for travel abroad, measured in passenger traffic (RPK), increased by a record 331.9% compared to April 2021, which means that compared to last year, there was an acceleration of growth by 289.9% in March this year.
Which destinations showed a higher level of travel than pre-pandemic? These are Central America, North America, and the Middle East. However, the international RPK in April 2022 fell by 43.4% compared to the same month of the 2019 forecast. In this regard, IATA Director General Willy Walsh said that with the abolition of many border restrictions, the long-awaited surge in bookings is growing as tourists seek to make up for lost travel opportunities in two years.
“April data is optimistic in almost all markets except China, which continues to severely restrict travel. The experience of the rest of the world shows that an increase in the number of trips is possible with a high level of immunity and normal disease surveillance systems, “he said.
The main conclusions are as follows:
- Data show that trips by European carriers abroad in April 2022 increased by 480% compared to April last year. However, bandwidth increased by only 233.5% and the load factor by 33.7% to 79.4%.
- Asia-Pacific Airlines also increased its foreign traffic in April by 290.8% compared to April last year. On the other hand, bandwidth increased by 88.6% and the load factor increased by 34.6% to 66.8%. This is the lowest rate among the regions.
- Similarly, Middle East Airlines saw a 265% increase in demand in April compared to the same month in 2021. As a result, April capacity increased by 1,015 compared to the previous year, and the load factor – by 32.2% and is 71.7%.