IATA numbers show air travel revival continuing

Global air passenger traffic was up almost 50% in October compared to the same month last year, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), passenger traffic was up 44.6% compared to October 2021, the IATA said – a recovery that puts global traffic at three-quarters of what it was in October 2019. International traffic was up 102.4% compared to October last year, the IATA said, with forward bookings also at around three-quarters of pre-pandemic levels, which “bodes well” got the sector, according to IATA director general Willie Walsh. The biggest revival came in