The International Air Transport Association (IATA} announced that the post-COVID recovery momentum continued in July for passenger markets. Total traffic in July 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 26.2% compared with July 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 95.6% of pre-COVID levels.
Domestic traffic for July rose 21.5% versus July 2022 and was 8.3% above the July 2019 results. July RPKs are the highest ever recorded, strongly supported by surging demand in the China domestic market.
International traffic climbed 29.6% compared with the same month a year ago, with all markets showing robust growth. International RPKs reached 88.7% of July 2019 levels. The passenger load factor (PLF) for the industry reached 85.7%, which is the highest monthly international PLF ever recorded.
Willie Walsh, director general, said that planes were full during July as people continued to travel in ever greater numbers. Importantly, he said, “forward ticket sales indicate that traveler confidence remains high and there is every reason to be optimistic about the continuing recovery.”
North American carriers had a 17.7% traffic rise in July 2023 versus the 2022 period. Capacity increased 17.2%, and load factor improved 0.3 percentage points to 90.3%, which was the highest among all regions for a second consecutive month.
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