Tag Archives: 2019 levels

Middle Eastern airlines saw an 18.6% traffic rise in November compared to November 2022. November capacity increased 19.0% versus the year-ago period, and load factor fell 0.2 percentage points to 77.4%. Overall Air Travel reached 99% of 2019 Levels as recovery continues in November according to the latest data released for November 2023 by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). • Total traffic in November 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 29.7% compared to November 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 99.1% of November 2019 levels. • International traffic rose 26.4% versus November 2022. The Asia-Pacific region continued to report the strongest year-over-year results (+63.8%) with all regions showing improvement compared to the prior year. November 2023 international RPKs reached 94.5% of November 2019 levels. • Domestic traffic for November 2023 was up 34.8% compared to November 2022. Total November 2023 domestic traffic was 6.7% above the November 2019 level. Growth was particularly strong in China (+272%) as it recovered from the COVID travel restrictions that were still in place a year ago. US domestic travel, benefitting from strong Thanksgiving holidays demand, reached a new high, expanding +9.1% over November 2019. “We are moving ever closer to surpassing the 2019 peak year for air travel. Economic headwinds are not deterring people from taking to the skies. International travel remains 5.5% below pre-pandemic levels but that gap is rapidly closing. And domestic markets have been above their pre-pandemic levels continuously since April,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. Air passenger market in detail – November 2023 November 2023 (% year-on-year) World share1 RPK ASK PLF (%-pt) PLF (level) Total Market 100.0% 29.7% 28.6% 0.7% 81.8% Africa 2.1% 20.3% …

The World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2023 Economic Impact Research (EIR) today reveals the UAE travel & tourism sector is projected to meet the 2019 peak this year. The sector is set to contribute AED 180.6 billion to the UAE economy by the end of 2023, almost matching the 2019 high AED 183.4 billion, only 1.5% behind pre-pandemic levels. This represents nearly 10% of the total economy. WTTC is also forecasting that the sector will create nearly 7,000 jobs this year, surpassing the pre-pandemic peak of 745,100, to reach more than 758,000 employed by travel & tourism. Last year, the travel & tourism sector’s GDP contribution grew more than 60% to reach nearly AED 167 billion, representing 9% of the country’s economy. The sector also created more than 89,000 more jobs from the previous year to reach more than 751,000 jobs nationally, surpassing 2019 levels by an additional 6,000 jobs. 2022 saw the return of international travellers to the UAE, with India (13%), Oman (8%), Saudi Arabia (8%), and UK (7%) leading as source markets for international arrivals. According to the data, in 2022, international visitors contributed AED 117.6 billion to the national economy, representing a year-on-year growth of 65.3%, although 19% behind 2019 levels. In terms of domestic spend, 2022 saw a 35.7% year-on-year jump, reaching AED 46.9 billion, 10.6% above its pre-pandemic counterpart. Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said: “The national Travel & Tourism sector is recovering at a rapid pace, proving the UAE continues to grow in popularity amongst international travellers. The UAE is home to one of the world’s busiest and successful airports, Dubai International, which acts as a gateway to the Middle East. “The …