(Anadolu photo)
ANKARA – Global air traffic in 2022 has reached 68.5 percent of its pre-pandemic level, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Air traffic – measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs – surged 64.4 percent from a year earlier in 2022, IATA data showed.
"The industry left 2022 in far stronger shape than it entered, as most governments lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions during the year and people took advantage of the restoration of their freedom to travel," Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said in a statement on Monday.
"This momentum is expected to continue in the New Year, despite some governments’ over-reactions to China’s re-opening," Walsh added.
International traffic jumped 152.7 percent from 2021, with RPKs reaching 62.2 percent of the 2019 level, according to IATA.
According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourism made 63 percent of its pre-virus level in 2022 despite doubling from a year ago.
A total of 917 million tourists traveled internationally last year, up 101.6 percent from the previous year, the report UNWTO released last month showed.
Domestic air traffic increased 10.9% year-on-year to 79.6% of the pre-pandemic level.
Separate IATA data on Monday showed that demand for air cargo – measured in cargo ton-kilometers – decreased 8 percent on an annual basis in 2022. Compared to 2019, it was down 1.6 percent, both globally and internationally. (Anadolu)
