Global air traffic returned to 96% of the 2019 level in May and international traffic to just under 91%, according to latest figures from airline association Iata.
Passenger traffic worldwide rose 39% year on year in the month and international traffic was up 41% on May 2022, Iata reported.
But international traffic carried by airlines in the Middle East and North America exceeded May 2019 – the Middle East by 17% and North America by almost 2%.
Traffic in Europe remained 2% down, and international traffic close to 5% down on 2019, although the latter was almost 27% up year on year.
An overall 20% increase in passenger traffic in Europe year on year outpaced the increase in airline capacity by almost six percentage points.
International traffic among Asia Pacific carriers remained 31% down on the pre-pandemic level and traffic overall 15% down despite traffic in the region leaping 157% year on year.
Iata director general Willie Walsh noted: “Planes were full in May, with average load factors reaching 81.8%.
“Domestic markets reported growth on pre-pandemic levels and, heading into the busy Northern summer travel season, international demand reached 90.8% of pre-pandemic levels.”
Walsh argued the strong demand “is one element supporting a return to profitability by airlines”.
But he hit out at what he called “aviation’s famously unbalanced value chain”, noting European airports announced a collective profit of €6.4 billion ($7 billion) in 2022 when Iata estimates Europe’s airlines made $4.1 billion.
Walsh denounced airports as “a monopoly supplier” and questioned whether airport regulators are “defending the public interest when a monopoly supplier can generate much healthier returns than the competitive businesses they supply”.
He said: “Governments should take a look.”