Global air passenger traffic continued, in November, to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports. (IATA is the representative body for the global airline industry.)

In year-on-year (y-o-y) terms, total air passenger traffic in November was up 41.3%. This meant that it reached 75.3% of the pre-Covid level recorded in November 2019. International air passenger traffic jumped 85.2% y-o-y, while the equivalent increase in domestic traffic came to 3.4%. (Domestic air transport resumed significantly earlier than international air traffic, meaning that its growth came off a higher base than that for international flights.) November 2022 international air passenger traffic reached 73.7% of that in November 2019, while for domestic traffic the equivalent figure was 77.7%.

“Traffic results in November reinforce that consumers are thoroughly enjoying the freedom to travel,” highlighted IATA director-general Willie Walsh. “Unfortunately, the reactions to China’s reopening of international travel in January reminds us that many governments are still playing science politics when it comes to Covid-19 and travel. Epidemiologists, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and others have said that the reintroduction of testing for travellers from China can do little to contain a virus that is already present around the world. And China’s objections to these policy measures are compromised by their own pre-departure testing requirements for people travelling to China.”

The region which recorded the biggest y-o-y increase in total air passenger traffic in November was Africa, with a jump of 84.5%. It was followed by the Middle East (77.9%), the Asia-Pacific (68.4%), Europe (37%), Latin America (27.8%) and North America (19.6%).

In terms of international air passenger traffic, the region that saw the greatest y-o-y growth in November was the Asia-Pacific, at 373.9%. In second place was the Middle East, up 84.6%. Africa was close behind, at 83.5%. Then followed North America (69.9%), Latin America (59.2%), and, finally, Europe (45.3%).

IATA does not issue reports on all domestic air travel markets, instead focusing on the six biggest ones – Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan and the US. In y-o-y terms, domestic air traffic in Australia in November rocketed by 190%. The increase for Japan was 37.3% and for India, 11.1%. In Brazil, the figure was 5.1%, which took domestic air travel in that country to 96.2% of its November 2019 level. The increase in the US was 5%, resulting in that country’s domestic air traffic reaching 99% of that recorded in November 2019.

In sharp contrast, domestic air traffic in China in November fell by 38.8%, y-o-y, owing to anti-Covid travel restrictions in that country. This drop in Chinese traffic dampened the global domestic air travel markets figure for November.