Worldwide, air passenger traffic continued its strong recovery, from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, in January, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported. IATA is the representative body for the global airline industry.

In year-on-year terms, total air passenger traffic in January was up by 67%. It reached 84.2% of its levels in January 2019 (that is, pre-pandemic). International passenger traffic in January jumped 104%, year-on-year, and reached 77% of its January 2019 levels. Domestic traffic increased 32.7% year-on-year in January, almost totally recovering to pre-Covid levels, as it came to 97.4% of January 2019 traffic.

“Air travel demand is off to a very healthy start in 2023,” pointed out IATA director-general Willie Walsh. “The rapid removal of Covid-19 restrictions for Chinese domestic and international travel bodes well for the continued strong industry recovery from the pandemic throughout the year. And, importantly, we have not seen the many economic and geopolitical uncertainties of the day dampening demand for travel.”

In terms of total passenger traffic, the region that showed the strongest year-on-year growth in January was the Asia-Pacific, at 114.9%, followed closely by Africa at 113.8%. Then came the Middle East (91.1%), Europe (53.2%), North America (42.2%) and Latin America (24.3%).

Regarding international passenger traffic in particular, again the region with the strongest growth (by far) in January was the Asia-Pacific, at 376.3%, year-on-year. “[B]ut [this was] off a very low base when much of the region was still closed to travel,” explained IATA.

Africa was again in second place, at 124.8%, followed by the Middle East at 97.7%. Next came North America, which saw growth of 82.4%, then Europe (60.6%) and Latin America (46.8%).

When it came to domestic air traffic, in its reports IATA focused on six particularly large markets: Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan and the US. In January, in year-on-year terms, the market that saw the strongest growth was Australia, at 107.3%, which took that country’s domestic passenger traffic to 88.8% of its pre-pandemic levels. The country with the second strongest growth was India, at 92%. Then followed Japan (63.3%), China (37.2%), the US (26.8%) and Brazil (3%).

“With strong travel demand continuing through the traditionally slower winter season in the northern hemisphere, the stage is set for an even busier spring and summer,” highlighted Walsh.