Global air travel rise 11% annually in April
Global air traffic grew 11% year-on-year in April, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Thursday, Anadolu reports.
This marked the 36th straight month of hike, IATA Director General Willie Walsh said: "As we enter the peak northern summer travel season, there is every reason to feel optimistic for a strong summer with airlines offering a wide range of travel options."
Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers, increased 9.6% from a year earlier while April's load factor rose by 1 percentage point to 82.4%.
International traffic jumped 15.8% at an annualized pace in April, with all regions showing strong growth.
Asia-Pacific airlines continue to lead the way, with a 32.1% annual increase in demand with strong traffic flows from the Middle East and Africa to Asia.
European carriers posted a 10.1% hike in demand, meaning international routes from Europe have surpassed pre-COVID levels to all regions except Africa.
Domestic traffic rose 4% during the same period while the capacity on domestic route was up 2%.
Separate IATA data on Wednesday showed that global demand for air cargo, measured in cargo ton-kilometers, gained 11% compared to last April, marking a fifth consecutive month of double-digit year-on-year growth.