Airlines in Asia showed the strongest international growth in August despite Covid restrictions being maintained across mainland China.
Latest passenger data from Iata shows total traffic rose by almost 68% against the same month last year and reached 73.7% of pre-pandemic levels.
International levels more than doubled year-on-year while domestic volumes rose by more than a quarter.
Iata director general Willie Walsh said: “The northern hemisphere peak summer travel season finished on a high note.
“Considering the prevailing economic uncertainties, travel demand is progressing well. And the removal or easing of travel restrictions at some key Asian destinations, including Japan, will certainly accelerate the recovery in Asia.
“The mainland of China is the last major market retaining severe COVID-19 entry restrictions.”
August traffic by European carriers climbed 78.8% versus August 2021. Capacity rose 48%, and the load factor increased 14.7 percentage points to 85.5%. The region had the second highest load factor after North America.
The statistics were released a year since the Iata’s annual meeting took the a decision to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Walsh said: “Aviation is committed to decarbonising by 2050, in line with the Paris agreement. And the energy transition required to achieve this must be supported by government policies.
“That is why there is such great anticipation for the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organisation to reach agreement on a long-term aspirational goal on aviation and climate change.”
He added: “The near grounding of aviation during the pandemic highlighted how important aviation is to the modern world.
“And we will take a giant step towards securing the long-term social and economic benefits of sustainable global connectivity, if the policy-vision of governments is aligned with the industry’s commitment to net zero by 2050.”