IATA: Air passenger traffic in Asia Pacific increased by 125.6% year-on-year in the first half of 2023

In the first half of 2023, global revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) increased by 47.2% compared with the same period last year. The strong recovery trend continued in June, with passenger traffic increasing by 31% year-on-year to 94.2% of pre-pandemic levels. Domestic passenger traffic in June increased by 27.2% year-on-year, 5.1% higher than pre-pandemic passenger traffic. This result was driven by the strong performance of major domestic markets. Although different regions experienced different recovery patterns, total international RPKs increased by 33.7% above June 2022 levels, maintaining a strong recovery this year. Notably, Asia-Pacific airlines maintained their growth momentum, driven by strong demand for air travel in the region.

All regions achieved strong traffic growth and made significant progress towards returning to pre-pandemic traffic levels in the first half of 2023. Although recovery trends vary by region, industry-wide RPKs increased 47.2% year-on-year and were only 9.7% below 2019 levels.

In the first half of 2023, Asia-Pacific airlines recovered significantly, with passenger traffic increasing by 125.6% compared to 2022. This recovery was driven by the reopening of China, the region's largest passenger market, and the steady recovery of international tourism in the region over the past year. RPKs for Asia-Pacific airlines jumped from 35.1% in the first half of 2022 to 79.7% in the first half of 2023.

North American airlines were among the first to resume operations and are leading the recovery. In the first six months of the year, their RPKs were up another 20% above 2022 levels and 0.8% above pre-pandemic traffic. While other regions also experienced significant traffic recovery as of June, the pace of growth has slowed across all regions as RPKs approach 2019 levels.

In June this year, the industry's passenger turnover increased by 31% year-on-year, and the available seat kilometers (ASK) increased by 28.8% year-on-year. On a seasonally adjusted basis, RPK continued to maintain its growth trend, increasing by 1.2% month-on-month, maintaining its growth momentum this year.