APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) African carriers reported a 34.7 percent traffic increase in June compared to the same month in 2022 as the post-COVID recovery momentum continues, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced.
In its monthly report issued on Wednesday, IATA said the international traffic climbed to over 33 percent in June 2023 versus the same month last year with all markets showing robust growth.
African airlines saw 34.7 percent traffic rise in the same period, the second highest percentage gain among the regions, IATA said.
Their June capacity, on the other hand, was up 44.8 percent and load factor fell 5.1 percentage points to 68.1 percent, lowest among the regions.
“Africa was the only region to see a decline in the monthly international load factor compared to the year ago same period,” the report noted.
Globally, the IATA says traffic is now at 94.2 percent of pre-COVID levels.
For the first half of 2023, total traffic – measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) – was up 47.2 percent compared to the year-ago period.
“The northern summer travel season got off to a strong start in June with double-digit demand growth and average load factors topping 84%,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said.
“Planes have been full, which is good news for airlines, local economies, and travel and tourism dependent jobs. All benefit from the industry’s ongoing recovery,” he added.
MG/as/APA