Iata has announced strong passenger traffic demand in April with African airlines’ traffic increasing by 53.5% in April 2023 versus a year ago, the second highest among the regions.

April capacity was up 50%, and the load factor climbed 1.6 percentage points to 69.8% - the region’s lowest.

According to Iata statistics released earlier this month, total traffic in April 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) rose 45.8% compared with April 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 90.5% of pre-COVID levels. At 81.3%, industry load factor was only 1.8 percentage points below pre-pandemic levels.

Domestic traffic for April rose 42.6% compared with the same period a year-ago and has now fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels, posting a 2.9% increase over the April 2019 results.

International traffic climbed by 48.0% versus April 2022 with all markets recording healthy growth, with carriers in the Asia-Pacific region continuing to lead the recovery. International RPKs reached 83.6% of April 2019 levels.

“April continued the strong traffic trend in the 2023 first quarter. The easing of inflation and rising consumer confidence in most OECD countries, combined with declining jet fuel prices, suggests sustained strong air travel demand and moderating cost pressures,” said Willie Walsh, Iata Director General.

He added: “Heading into the Northern hemisphere peak travel season, aircraft and airports are full of people eager to use their travel freedoms. Airlines are working hard to accommodate them with a smooth travel experience despite continuing supply chain shortages and other operational challenges. Sadly, some governments appear keener on punitive regulation than on doing their part to enable hassle-free travel.”