A recent report released by International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated that global air traffic grew by 89.7 per cent in February 2023 compared to the same time in 2022. Asia Pacific led the growth with a 378.7 per cent year-on-year increase in air traffic in February 2023, thus maintaining a positive momentum after the travel restrictions eased post-pandemic.
The overall air traffic grew by 55.5 per cent in February 2023 to reach 84.9 per cent of the February 2019 level. So more people are flying internationally, especially from the APAC region. The European airlines saw a 47.9 per cent traffic increase versus February 2022 as the capacity and load factor saw the lowest among the regions at 29.7 per cent and a 73.7 per cent hike.
Besides, North American carriers saw a 67.4 per cent rise, Latin American airlines saw a 44.1 per cent hike, while Middle Eastern carriers witnessed a 75 per cent hike in air traffic in February this year. In fact, domestic traffic also saw an upsurge of 25.2 per cent in February this year compared to last year and 97.2 per cent compared to February 2019. Moreover, the numbers are expected to rise further during the Easter and Passover holidays globally.
