MALAYSIA. Traffic figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) reveal a strong recovery in international air passenger demand in 2022, two years after pandemic-related travel restrictions threw air travel into a catastrophic decline.
International passenger numbers carried by Asia Pacific airlines surged +507% to 105.4 million last year, up from a mere 17.4 million in 2021. However, that was just 27% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
By December, international passengers travelling via Asia Pacific airlines jumped to +47.5% of pre-pandemic levels, notably higher than the 7% recorded in January.
Measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) terms, international passenger demand soared by +439% in 2022.
The year-on-year leap in demand – combined with an +144% expansion in available seat capacity – led to a 39.9 percentage points increase in the average international passenger load factor to 72.8% for the year.
AAPA Director General Subhas Menon said: “2022 marked the start of a long-awaited recovery in international travel markets as governments across the region eased travel restrictions over the course of the year in a bid to welcome back visitors. The release of pent-up travel demand drove a +507% annual increase in the number of passengers carried for the year. However, demand in 2022 averaged just 27% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels, underscoring the significant progress still required towards full recovery.”
Looking ahead, Menon said: “The outlook for 2023 is broadly positive, notably for passenger travel. The recovery of passenger demand is expected to progress further in the coming months, driven by strong appetite for travel. In particular, the recent easing of travel restrictions in China will further fuel demand, although the re-imposition of testing requirements for inbound travellers by some governments may somewhat slow down recovery in the shorter term.” ✈
