- The only market where air travel demand did not increase by double digits was North America.
- This is based on IATA data comparing February to the same month in 2023.
- IATA chief Willie Walsh also warned politicians against making airfares more expensive with new taxes.
As demand for air travel increases, North America lags behind the rest of the world.
Total global demand rose 21.5% in February compared to the same month last year, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The airline industry group measured demand in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), which is the number of paying travelers multiplied by the distance traveled.
It seems that international travel is becoming more popular than domestic travel. Demand increased by more than a quarter compared to his 15% increase in domestic travel.
February of this year included a leap day, which can introduce extra errors when comparing year-to-year data.
However, North America was the only market that did not record double-digit growth in passenger demand.
According to IATA, the Asia-Pacific region had the highest RPK growth rate of 37.8%, followed by Africa at 22.5%.
However, demand in North America, which accounts for about a quarter of the global aviation market, increased only 8.9%.
The sharp increases in other parts of the world may reflect the ongoing recovery from the pandemic, particularly in the United States, which has recovered more rapidly.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh said: “There are good reasons to be optimistic about the industry's prospects for 2024.”
In addition to increasing demand, he cited increased investment in green technologies to reduce the industry's climate impact.
Mr Walsh also warned politicians to “resist the temptation of a cash grab with new taxes that could destabilize this positive trajectory and make travel more expensive”.
“Europe in particular seems to be trying to lock in its sluggish economy, which is a cause for concern,” he added. It is a recovery based on an uncompetitive tax plan. ”
