The International Air Transport Association has revealed that global flight passenger demand, as measured by revenue passenger kilometers, increased by 16.6% in January 2024.
This was disclosed in a report released on Wednesday, revealing the figure indicated a robust start to the year.
According to the report, a 20.8 per cent surge in international demand was noted, along with a 20.9 per cent increase in capacity. The load factor reached 79.7 per cent.
Domestic demand showed a 10.4 per cent rise, with capacity increasing by 4.6 per cent, and the load factor saw a 4.2 percentage point increase to 80.2 per cent
The Director General of IATA, Willie Walsh, said, “2024 is off to a strong start despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties. As governments look to build prosperity in their economies in the busiest election year ever, they must see aviation as a catalyst for growth.
“Increased taxes and onerous regulation are a counterweight to prosperity. We will be looking to governments for policies that help aviation to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and make progress towards net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.”
IATA said the growth in domestic demand remained driven by China, where there was robust demand for Lunar New Year travel, likely boosting traffic in February as well.
