- North America is the only market where demand for air travel has not increased by double digits.
- This is according to IATA data comparing February to the same month in 2023.
- IATA chief Willie Walsh also warned politicians not to make flights more expensive with new taxes.
North America is lagging behind the rest of the world as demand for air travel increases.
Globally, total demand increased by 21.5% in February compared to the same month last year, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The airline trade group measured demand in terms of revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), which is the number of revenue travelers times the distance flown.
International travel appears to be growing in popularity more than domestic flights. Demand rose by more than a quarter, compared to a 15% increase for domestic travel.
Since this February included a leap day, there might be an additional difference in comparing data between years.
However, North America was the only market not to see a double-digit increase in passenger demand.
According to IATA, Asia Pacific recorded the highest increase in RPK at 37.8%, followed by Africa at 22.5%.
But demand in North America, which accounts for about a quarter of the global air travel market, grew only 8.9%.
The sharper increases in the rest of the world could reflect a continued recovery from the pandemic, which has occurred more quickly in the United States in particular.
“There are good reasons to be optimistic about the industry’s prospects in 2024,” said Willie Walsh, IATA director general.
As well as increasing demand, he cited more investment in green technology to help reduce the industry’s climate impact.
Walsh also warned politicians to “resist the temptation to appropriate money with new taxes that could destabilize this positive trajectory and make travel more expensive.”
He added: “Europe in particular is a source of concern as it appears determined to curb its economic slowdown. recovery with uncompetitive tax proposals.
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