The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that demand for commercial airline travel continued to recover in January 2023. According to IATA data, total traffic in January measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 67 percent compared to 2022, while global traffic reached 84.2 percent of January 2019 levels.
Domestic traffic for January rose 32.7 percent compared to the year-ago period, thanks in part to China lifting COVID-related restrictions. Total domestic traffic was at 97.4 percent of the January 2019 level.
As for international traffic, totals climbed 104 percent and RPKs reached 77 percent of pre-pandemic numbers, with all markets recording strong growth.