Domestic revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) and passenger demand both increased in the Indian aviation market, which is experiencing a strong revival, in August 2023, even as apost pandemic recovery in global passenger demand and traffic strengthened.
Indian domestic RPKs increased by 23.2% year-over-year in March, according to IATA data, making this the sixth straight month of rise and bringing them above their pre-pandemic levels.
Available seat kilometers (ASK) in India grew by 15.6%, while the passenger load factor (PLF) increased by 5.1% to 83.9%. India accounts for 2.0% of the global domestic passenger market.
IATA also announced that domestic traffic in August was up 25.4% compared to August 2022 and up 9.2% compared to August 2019 figures. Strong demand in China's home market was the primary factor in this expansion. Even though Japan's domestic air travel market expanded by 8.7 percent in August, the month's growth rate was slightly lower than usual because of disruptions caused by Typhoon Khanun.
Global Passenger Traffic reaches 95.7% of pre-Covid levels
However, international passenger traffic increased by 30.4% compared to the same period last year. overseas RPKs increased to 88.5% from their August 2019 levels, with rises in all the main overseas markets in the double digits.
"August was a good month for airline ticket sales. According to IATA Director General Willie Walsh, "year-to-date international traffic is up 50% compared to last year, and ticket sales data show international bookings strengthening for travel in the last part of the year."
With a 98.5% rise in traffic from August 2022 to February 2023 and a 5.5 percentage point improvement in load factor from August 2022 to February 2023, Asia-Pacific airlines maintained their regional leadership.
In August, traffic on European airlines was up 13.6% from the same month in 2022, with load factors rising 1.1% to 86.8%.
August saw a remarkable 27.3% growth in traffic for Middle Eastern airlines, with load factors rising 3.0% to 83.1%.
In August 2023, traffic was up 18.6% for North American airlines compared to August 2022, while it was up 26.4% for Latin American airlines.
August 2023 had a 26.1% increase in passenger volume for African carriers, compared to August 2022.
Creating a road toward sustainability
The airline sector has essentially recovered to 2019 levels of demand as we enter the final quarter of 2018. However, according to Walsh, the focus has not been on returning to a predetermined level of passengers or flights, but rather on satisfying the demand for internet access among businesses and individuals that had been artificially stifled for almost two years.
After suffering economic, social, and individual losses due to the inability to fly during the COVID-19 crisis, the aviation sector is more committed than ever to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in order to ensure a viable long-term future. The first IATAWorld Sustainability Symposium, which emphasized on decarbonization strategies, made it abundantly plain. We know that our customers want a world in which they have the freedom to travel sustainably," Walsh continued, noting that the first World Sustainability Symposium was an important step in bringing policy makers, the aviation value chain, and airlines together to discuss the concrete measures that are needed to fulfill this desire.
Comments