Global air passenger traffic in November continued to recover, but at a slightly lower rate than in October, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

International traffic spearheaded the increase in airline passenger numbers, while domestic traffic ticked up by just a few percentage points during November.

Total November 2022 traffic, as measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), increased 41.3 per cent year-on-year, reaching around three-quarters (75.3 per cent) of 2019 levels during the month.

Total global capacity in November, as measured in available seat kilometres (ASKs), increased 23.8 per cent year-on-year and is 75.4 per cent back to pre-Covid levels. Load factor was 80.8 per cent, up by 10 percentage points from November 2021.

IATA’s figures for European airlines show that international traffic grew by 45.3 per cent – 4 percentage points above the global average – compared with November 2021 but remained 17.1 per cent below November 2019’s levels.

International capacity offered by Europe’s carriers also rose by 25.1 per cent year-on-year, while load factor climbed by more than 11 percentage points to 83.6 per cent, which was the highest level among all global regions.

Traffic results in November reinforce that consumers are thoroughly enjoying the freedom to travel, said 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.

Airline organisations, including IATA, have also criticised a recommendation agreed by EU member states last week that passengers arriving from China should require a negative COVID-19 test.

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