June air travel recovery subdued, demand nowhere near it needs to be: IATA

The IATA has announced passenger demand performance for June showing a very slight improvement in both international and domestic air travel markets.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced passenger demand performance for June showing a very slight improvement in both international and domestic air travel markets.

Demand remains significantly below pre-Covid-19 levels owing to international travel restrictions.

Total demand for air travel in June measured in revenue passenger kilometres was down 60.1 per cent compared to June 2019. That was a small improvement over the 62.9 per cent decline recorded in May versus May 2019.

International passenger demand in June was 80.9 per cent below June 2019, an improvement from the 85.4 per cent decline recorded in May 2021 versus two years ago. All regions with the exception of Asia Pacific contributed to the slightly higher demand.

Total domestic demand was down 22.4 per cent versus pre-crisis levels (June 2019), a slight gain over the 23.7 per cent decline recorded in May versus the 2019 period. The performance across key domestic markets was mixed with Russia reporting robust expansion while China returned to negative territory.

"We are seeing movement in the right direction, particularly in some key domestic markets. But the situation for international travel is nowhere near where we need to be," said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director-General.

"June should be the start of peak season but airlines were carrying just 20 per cent of 2019 levels. That is not a recovery, it is a continuing crisis caused by government inaction," he said.

Asia Pacific airlines' June international traffic fell 94.6 per cent compared to June 2019, unchanged from the 94.5 per cent decline in May 2021 versus May 2019.

The region had the steepest traffic declines for the 11th consecutive month. Capacity dropped 86.7 per cent and the load factor was down 48.3 percentage points to 33.1 per cent, the lowest among regions.