African airlines see 84.8% passenger traffic increase
"July’s performance continued to be strong, with some markets approaching pre-Covid levels. And that is even with capacity constraints in parts of the world that were unprepared for the speed at which people returned to travel. There is still more ground to recover, but this is an excellent sign as we head into the traditionally slower autumn and winter quarters in the northern hemisphere," said Willie Walsh, Iata's director general.
According to Iata's data, total traffic in July 2022 was up 58.8% compared to July 2021. Globally, traffic is now at 74.6% of pre-crisis levels, while domestic traffic for July 2022 was up 4.1% compared to the year-ago period and is now driving the recovery. The total domestic traffic for July 2022 was at 86.9% of the 2019 level. China saw a strong month-to-month improvement compared to June.
International traffic rose by 150.6% versus July 2021. July 2022 international RPKs reached 67.9% of July 2019 levels. All markets reported strong growth, led by Asia-Pacific.
International passenger markets
• Asia-Pacific airlines posted a 528.8% rise in July traffic compared to July 2021, the strongest year-over-year rate among the regions. Capacity rose by 159.9%, while the load factor was up by 47.1 percentage points to 80.2%.
• European carriers saw July traffic rise by 115.6% versus the previous year. Capacity rose by 64.3%, while the load factor climbed 20.6 percentage points to 86.7%, the second highest among the regions.
• Middle Eastern airlines’ traffic climbed by 193.1% in July compared to the previous year. July capacity rose by 84.1% versus the year-ago period, while the load factor climbed by 30.5 percentage points to 82.0%.
• North American carriers had a 129.2% traffic rise in July versus the 2021 period. Capacity rose by 79.9%, while the load factor climbed by 19.4 percentage points to 90.3%, which was the highest among the regions for a second month.
• Latin American airlines’ July traffic rose by 119.4% compared to the same month in 2021. July capacity rose by 92.3%, while the load factor increased by 10.5 percentage points to 85.2%.
• African airlines saw an 84.8% rise in July RPKs versus a year ago. July 2022 capacity was up by 46.7%, while the load factor climbed by 15.5 percentage points to 75.0%, the lowest among regions.
Domestic passenger markets
• Brazil’s domestic traffic rose by 24.2% in July and has now reached pre-pandemic levels.
• India’s domestic RPKs rose by 97.8% in July and are now exceeding 81% of 2019 levels.
"Aviation continues to recover as people take advantage of their restored freedom to travel. The pandemic showed that aviation is not a luxury but a necessity in our globalized and interconnected world. Aviation is committed to continuing to meet the demands of people and commerce and to do it sustainably. We have set a goal to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, which is in line with the targets of the Paris Agreement.
"Governments will have the opportunity to support our commitment by agreeing to a Long-Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) of net zero aviation CO2 emissions by 2050 at the upcoming 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). With governments supporting the same goal and timeline, we and our value chain partners can move forward with confidence towards a net zero carbon future," says Walsh.
