Strong recovery as global air traffic at 75% of pre-pandemic levels

For European carriers, November traffic rose by 45.3% compared to the same month in 2021

International traffic rose 85.2% compared to November 2021, with domestic travel up 3.4% year-on-year. Picture David Creedon

Global air traffic now stands at 75.3% of its pre-pandemic levels, following another strong year of recovery. 

Releasing its figures for November 2022, the International Air Transport Association found traffic increased by 41.3% compared to the same month in 2021.

International traffic rose 85.2% compared to November 2021, with domestic travel up 3.4% year-on-year. Despite reporting a strong recovery, the agency noted travel restrictions in China as a continued damper on the  global result.

The Asia-Pacific continued to report the strongest year-over-year results, with IATA reporting that all regions showed improvement compared to the prior year.

For European carriers, November traffic rose by 45.3% compared to the same month 2021, with overall capacity increasing by 25.1%. The region's load factor also increased by over 11%, now standing at just under 84%, the highest out of all the regions.

Speaking on the continued recovery of the industry, Director General of IATA, Willie Walsh said, "Traffic results in November reinforce that consumers are thoroughly enjoying the freedom to travel."

However, the former Aer Lingus and British Airways CEO reiterated concerns regarding travel restrictions for Chinese passengers, criticising governments for playing "science politics."

"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," said Mr Walsh.

Following a major surge in Covid infections in China, countries including France, Japan and Canada and the US reintroduced measures that require all Chinese travellers to provide a negative Covid test upon arrival.

The reintroduction of these restrictions were heavily criticised by Chinese authorities and the IATA, with Beijing calling the move "unacceptable," threatening countermeasures against the countries involved as an act of "reciprocity."

"Governments should focus on using available tools to manage COVID-19 effectively—including improved therapeutics and vaccinations—rather than repeating policies that have failed time and again over the last three years," Mr Walsh concluded.