The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced this week that global load factors have risen to pre-pandemic levels.
This is strong news for the aviation industry as a whole, with the focus now being on how it can be converted into post-pandemic growth all-round.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
IATA’s Numbers Show Strong Momentum…
As per data from IATA, domestic traffic rose 36.4% compared to the same period last year and was 5.3% above the May 2019 level.
This is also the second month in a row that domestic traffic has exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
International traffic has climbed 40.9% compared to May 2022 and has been mainly down to the increase in capacity offerings by carriers in Asia Pacific.
Willie Walsh, the IATA Director General, had this to say on the numbers:
“We saw more good news in May. Planes were full, with the average load factors reaching 81.8%. Domestic markets reported growth on pre-pandemic levels.”
“And, heading into the busy Northern summer travel season, international demand reached 90.8% of pre-pandemic levels”.
Below is data pertinent to the Air Passenger Market released by IATA:
| MAY 2023 (% CH VS SAME MONTH IN 2019) | WORLD SHARE1 | RPK | ASK | PLF (%-PT)2 | PLF (LEVEL)3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market | 100.0% | -3.9% | -3.9% | 0.0% | 81.8% |
| International | 58.0% | -9.2% | -11.2% | 1.8% | 82.3% |
| Domestic | 42.0% | 5.3% | 9.4% | -3.1% | 81.0% |
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| MAY 2023 (% YEAR-ON-YEAR) | WORLD SHARE1 | RPK | ASK | PLF(%-PT)2 | PLF(LEVEL)3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market | 100% | 39.1% | 35.0% | 2.4% | 81.8% |
| Africa | 2.1% | 38.6% | 36.7% | 0.9% | 69.9% |
| Asia Pacific | 22.1% | 130.4% | 109.5% | 7.0% | 77.3% |
| Europe | 30.8% | 19.1% | 13.5% | 4.0% | 84.8% |
| Latin America | 6.4% | 16.2% | 16.5% | -0.2% | 81.1% |
| Middle East | 9.8% | 30.1% | 23.8% | 3.9% | 79.9% |
| North America | 28.8% | 14.0% | 13.6% | 0.3% | 86.3% |
Overall, this is strong news for the aviation industry, with things expecting to improve month-on-month as we now come further out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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