MONTREAL: IATA revealed that total air travel traffic in November 2023 (measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometers) increased by 29.7 percent compared to the same month of the previous year. Meanwhile, global travel traffic has now reached 99.1 percent of November 2019 levels.
International air travel rose by 26.4 percent compared to November 2022. Notably, the Asia-Pacific region continued to record the strongest results year-on-year (+63.8 percent), with all regions showing improvement compared to the previous year. Moreover, the total number of international passengers in November 2023 reached 94.5 percent of November 2019 levels.
Meanwhile, domestic air travel traffic in November 2023 increased by 34.8 percent compared to November 2022. Additionally, domestic traffic in November 2023 recorded 6.7 percent higher than November 2019 levels.
China saw strong growth of 272 percent, as it recovered from travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19 that were still in place until last year. Meanwhile, domestic air travel in the United States reached a new high, rising by 9.1 percent compared to November 2019.
“We are moving ever closer to surpassing the 2019 peak year for air travel. Economic headwinds are not deterring people from taking to the skies. International travel remains 5.5% below pre-pandemic levels but that gap is rapidly closing,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general said.
