International Air Travel Demand Continues to Rebound

Data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) found that air travel continues to strengthen as international demand recovers from the impact of the pandemic.

Despite the war in Ukraine and COVID-related travel restrictions, total demand for air travel in April—measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs)—was up 78.7 percent compared to April 2021 and slightly ahead of March’s 76 percent year-over-year increase.

Global domestic air travel was down one percent in April, attributed to the strict restrictions in China, where domestic traffic was down 80.8 percent year-to-year. Overall, April domestic traffic was down 25.8 percent versus April 2019.

“With the lifting of many border restrictions, we are seeing the long-expected surge in bookings as people seek to make up for two years of lost travel opportunities,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said. “April data is cause for optimism in almost all markets, except China, which continues to severely restrict travel.”

International RPKs rose 331.9 percent versus April 2021, an acceleration over the 289.9 percent rise in March compared to a year ago. April international RPKs were still down 43.4 percent compared to the same month in 2019.

Airlines in North America reported that traffic rose 230.2 percent in April versus the 2021 period, slightly above the 227.9 percent rise in March compared to March 2021. Capacity rose 98.5 percent and load factor climbed 31.6 percentage points to 79.3 percent.

“The experience of the rest of the world is demonstrating that increased travel is manageable with high levels of population immunity and the normal systems for disease surveillance,” Walsh continued. “We hope that China can recognize this success soon and take its own steps towards normality.”

On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden and his administration announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would no longer require travelers arriving at American airports from other countries to present a negative COVID-19 test.