IATA: Better passenger demand recovery in 2021 despite Omicron impact, Stellar Year for cargo

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 – Global passenger traffic results for 2021 showed that demand (revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) fell by 58.4 per cent compared to the full year of 2019, which is an improvement compared to 2020, when full year RPKs were down 65.8 per cent versus 2019.

“Overall travel demand strengthened in 2021. That trend continued into December despite travel restrictions in the face of Omicron. That says a lot about the strength of passenger confidence and the desire to travel,” the International Air Transport Association (IATA) director general Willie Walsh said.

Without Omicron, international demand for the month of December expectation were an improvement to around 56.5 per cent below 2019 levels. Instead, volumes rose marginally to 58.4 per cent below 2019 from -60.5 per cent in November, he said in a statement. Read more