LONDON – According to data from RadarBox.com, global commercial flight traffic numbers for the first quarter of this year have been consistently up from Q1 2021, offering good news to the sector.
The aviation industry has had a fantastic start to the year off the back of COVID-19, with numbers not faltering as much as expected with the Ukraine Crisis.
So without further ado, let’s get into the numbers:
The Numbers
Below, you can see the data for each week of the quarter, highlighting increases compared to the same period last year as well as 2020 and 2019:
| Date | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| December 25-January 1 | 91,263 | 100,803 | 59,869 | 76,155 (Up 27.2% compared to 2021). |
| January 1-8 | 88,795 | 101,449 | 59,847 | 82,967 (Up 38.63% compared to 2021). |
| January 8-15 | 95,201 | 101,109 | 54,872 | 77,904 (Up 41.97% compared to 2021). |
| January 15-22 | 97,430 | 101,331 | 51,838 | 77,246 (Up 49.01% compared to 2021). |
| January 22-29 | 97,454 | 96,561 | 50,133 | 77,044 (Up 53.68% compared to 2021). |
| January 29-February 5 | 96,546 | 91,423 | 50,156 | 74,239 (Up 48.02% compared to 2021). |
| February 5-12 | 97,688 | 90,669 | 49,539 | 81,458 (Up 64.43% compared to 2021). |
| February 12-19 | 99,600 | 90,613 | 52,085 | 82,779 (Up 58.93% compared to 2021). |
| February 19-26 | 100,500 | 88,679 | 54,065 | 82,081 (Up 51.82% compared to 2021). |
| February 26-March 5 | 101,064 | 88,336 | 59,308 | 82,087 (Up 38.41% compared to 2021). |
| March 5-12 | 101,163 | 87,838 | 61,758 | 81,023 (Up 31.19% compared to 2021). |
| March 12-19 | 101,599 | 67,326 | 63,623 | 79,788 (Up 25.41% compared to 2021). |
| March 19-26 | 102,118 | 38,631 | 65,486 | 78,011 (Up 19.13% compared to 2021. |
What do these numbers show?
What we can see is that throughout Q1 2022, there was never a decrease-based percentage on the traffic statistics, which is a very promising sign.
We have of course seen that percentage increase reduce itself towards the end of Q1, but that is not surprising given the Russian airspace closures.
That being said, airports are experiencing substantial demand at the moment, meaning that by the end of April, we should see a continued increase in such traffic movements.
COVID Resurgence on the Way?
Some form of a COVID resurgence may be on the way and could put growth at potential risk.
With governments around the world easing COVID restrictions, this could be something to watch out for, especially with recent and new outbreaks across China and the rest of the world.
If COVID does resurge with a vengeance this summer, then this could hinder growth, especially when the sector is looking ahead to recovery, so caution has to be approached on this topic.
Looking Ahead
The industry can look ahead as it stands to the unprecedented demand that we will probably see.
People have been couped up in their homes because of COVID and want to go out and explore the world once again as well as businessmen wanting to make new links.
It will be interesting to see how the Summer season will go and once we get those numbers, which will probably be towards the end of Q2, then the increases in traffic movements will reflect that we are on the road to recovery. Once and for all.
Editor’s Note: The Editor-in-Chief of AviationSource News, James Field, is also a Marketing Analyst for RadarBox.com – This article came originally from the company’s blog, which James wrote. You can view the original here.
