Surging Forward: June 2023 Marks a Remarkable 31% Surge in Global Passenger Traffic, Signaling Continued Air Travel Recovery

Strong post-COVID recovery in passenger markets was reported by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in June 2023. June 2023 saw a global rise in traffic of 31.0% over June 2022, reaching 94.2% of pre-COVID levels. Comparing the first half of 2023 to the prior year, total traffic increased by 47.2%.

In June 2023, international traffic increased 33.7% over the same month the previous year, with strong growth across all markets. foreign RPKs increased to 88.2% of June 2019 levels, while foreign traffic increased by 58.6% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.

The biggest traffic growth was recorded by Asia-Pacific airlines (128.1%) in June 2023, followed by European airlines (14.0%), Middle Eastern airlines (29.5%), North American airlines (23.3%), Latin American airlines (25.7%), and African airlines (34.7%). Despite a 1.7% decline in June, Australia's traffic was still 3.9% higher than pre-pandemic levels. Domestic demand for Indian airlines increased by 14.8% in June, outpacing June 2019 levels by 1.3%.

While there is a high demand for travel, supply chain problems are slowing down capacity expansion and aggravating both passengers and airlines. To guarantee smoother travel, governments must address the accountability of air navigation service providers.