January 2024 global air demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased 16.6 per cent year over year and was at 99.6 per cent of January 2019 levels, according to the latest International Air Transport Association report, released on Wednesday (6 March).
In December, the 2019 comparison level was at 97.5 per cent.
Total January capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, was up 14.1 per cent compared with a year prior and came within 0.5 per cent of January 2019 levels, according to IATA.
International January traffic was up 20.8 per cent versus January 2023, with capacity up 20.9 per cent. Total domestic air demand increased 10.4 per cent, with capacity up 4.6 per cent.
"2024 is off to a strong start despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement. "As governments look to build prosperity in their economies in the busiest election-year ever, it is critical that they see aviation as a catalyst for growth."
Asia-Pacific carriers once again led other regions in international demand growth, with January 2024 traffic up 45.4 per cent versus January 2023. Capacity increased 48.1 per cent for the period.
The strong growth rate is mainly due to China, which a year earlier had begun to lift Covid-19 travel restrictions, according to IATA, which added that "the recovery in major international routes to/from Asia-Pacific is still lagging, but routes such as Asia-Middle East have exceeded pre-pandemic levels."
European carriers' January 2024 international traffic and capacity each increased by double digit percentages versus a year prior, and the load factor was up 0.1 percentage points.
"Routes between Europe and North America have rebounded particularly strongly from the pandemic, and stand 6.5 per cent higher than in January 2020," according to IATA.
For North America, January international demand and capacity each also increased by double-digit percentages year over year, however load factor declined 1 percentage point from January 2023.
On the domestic front, January air demand increased across all countries IATA tracked, however there was a pull-back in capacity by four of the six countries. Those two exceptions were Australia, in which capacity increased 6.3 per cent year over year, and China, which reported a 19.2 per cent increase.
Domestic load factors for January each were up except for Australia, which reported a 0.7 percentage point decrease from January 2023. China had the highest January 2024 load factor increase at 8.4 percentage points, followed by India at 4.2 percentage points.