According to Publituris, in March, global demand for air transport grew again and rose 13.8% compared to the third month of 2023, with IATA – International Air Transport Association highlighting the strong momentum in international demand, which rose 18.9% compared to the same month last year.

IATA data show that, in March, in addition to demand, global air capacity also rose 12.3% compared to March 2023, while the load factor reached 82.0%, gaining one percentage point compared to the same month last year. last year.

However, it was in international demand that growth was most felt in March, as this indicator increased by 18.9% compared to March 2023, while capacity rose 18.8% compared to the previous year and the occupancy rate improved to 81.6%, after an increase of 0.1 percentage points.

Less dynamic was domestic demand, which grew 6.6% compared to March 2023, while domestic capacity increased 3.4% compared to the previous year and the occupancy rate was 82.6%, improving by 2. 5 percentage points compared to March 2023.

“Demand for air travel is strong. And there is every indication that this is likely to continue during the peak summer travel season in the North. It is essential that we have the capacity to meet this demand and ensure a hassle-free travel experience for passengers”, says Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA.


International demand

Publituris also reveals that IATA data allows us to see that, in March, international demand for air travel grew in all regions of the world, with emphasis on Asia-Pacific, where this indicator increased by 38.5% compared to March 2023.

In the Asia-Pacific region, in addition to demand, capacity also increased by 37.4%, while the load factor increased by 0.7 percentage points, standing at 85.6%, the highest among all regions in the world.

IATA highlights that, in Asia-Pacific, the main routes “show notable growth, although the number of scheduled air services from China to North America is still only 16.5% compared to pre-pandemic levels”.

In Latin America, growth in international demand was 19.7% in March, while capacity rose 18.3% and load factor reached 84.3%, after an increase of 0.9 percentage points compared to March 2023.

In North America, growth in international demand was 14.5% and capacity increased by 14.8%, although the load factor fell to 84.7%, falling 0.2 percentage points compared to March 2023.

In Europe, the increase in international demand was 11.6%, while capacity rose 11.4% and the load factor stood at 79.9%, after having increased by just 0.1 percentage points compared to March last year.

In the Middle East, airlines saw international demand rise 10.8%, while capacity grew 13.9% and load factor was 77.5%, after falling 2.1 percentage points compared to March 2023.

In Africa, where international demand increased by 8.1% and capacity increased by 11.0%, while the load factor fell by 1.9 percentage points, standing at 70.3%, the lowest among all regions.

“All regions showed strong growth in international passenger markets in March 2024, compared to March 2023. Load factor performance was uneven, falling in three of the six regions”, highlights IATA.