According to a press release by the authority, air traffic in September increased by 57% compared to the same period last year while traffic, in general, has reached 73.8% of its pre-pandemic levels, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports. 

The Association further revealed that domestic air traffic indicating travelling within a country, increased by 6.9% compared to the previous year. The total domestic air traffic recorded in September reached 81% of 2019 levels. 

However, the result recorded in international traffic was particularly evident, as the air traffic caused by international arrivals was up by 122.2% compared to September 2021. Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK), indicating the number of passenger kilometres travelled, reached 69.9% of pre-pandemic levels. 

“Even with economic and geopolitical uncertainties, the demand for air transport continues to recover ground. The outlier is still China with its pursuit of a zero COVID strategy keeping borders largely closed and creating a demand roller coaster ride for its domestic market, with September being down 46.4% on the previous year,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said. 

Asia-Pacific airlines experienced a 464.4% rise in September, recording the highest increase in air traffic among all regions. The capacity of airlines also rose by 165.3% the load factor increased by 41.5 percentage points reaching 78.3%. 

On the other hand, air traffic throughout European airlines increased by 78.3% in September, showing a strong trend after the COVID-19 pandemic. The capacity of European carriers was also up by 43.8% and the load factor increased by 16.3 percentage points to 84.1%, being ranked as the second highest among all regions. 

Furthermore, Middle Eastern airlines recorded a 149.7% surge in air traffic, while the capacity increased by 65.3% and the load factor was up from 27.6 percentage points to a total of 80%. 

North America saw a 128.9% increase in air traffic, with the capacity increasing by 63.5% and reaching 85.4% percentage points in load factor. In addition, Latin American airlines’ recorded a load factor capacity of 10.8 percentage points, reaching a total of 83.5% while traffic rose by 99.4% compared to September 2021. 

African airlines received a 90.5% increase in September RPKs this year, while capacity was up by 47.2% and load factor increased by 16.7 percentage points to 73.6%, the lowest among regions.