While passenger traffic recovers compared to previous months, cargo movement records all-time highs.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed that passenger traffic in March 2021 increased 7.7 percentage points in the world compared to the previous month (February 2021), when it fell 74.9% , due to an improvement led by the domestic markets, led by China.
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However, when the figures are compared with March 2019, before COVID-19, the results are not so encouraging: there is a decrease of 67.2% in total demand, measured in passenger-kilometers transported (RPK).
While global domestic demand contracted by 32.3% compared to pre-crisis levels, a significant improvement compared to the 51.2% drop in February 2021, international demand in March fell by 87.8%, although it had a mild improvement compared to the 89% drop in February.
“The positive momentum we have seen in some key domestic markets in March shows the strong recovery we anticipate in international markets as travel restrictions are lifted. People want and need to fly. And we are confident that they will when the restrictions are lifted, ”said Willie Walsh, IATA Director General.
In Latin America, specifically, a region that represents 5.7% of operations in the world, demand had one of the slightest drops (-64.5%), in line with the capacity of airlines to move passengers, which it also fell (-59.1%).
According to IATA, Latin American airlines experienced a drop of 82.4% in March 2021 compared to March 2019, a slight improvement compared to the February slowdown of 83.7%. “March capacity fell 77.4% compared to March 2019, and the load factor fell 18.1 percentage points to 63.6%, the best global figure for the sixth consecutive month.”
The union concluded, based on the figures, that, despite the refusal of some governments to lift travel restrictions and quarantine measures due to the appearance of new variants of the coronavirus and the increase in cases, they are already seeing positive progress . “At least 24 countries have already said they will welcome vaccinated travelers. We hope that this decision will move forward and gain momentum as vaccination numbers rise. However, governments should not rely solely on vaccines, as it could bypass those who cannot receive a vaccine for medical or other reasons, including those who do not have access to vaccines, a common situation in much of the world today ”, highlighted Walsh.
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Contrary to passenger dynamics, global air cargo demand once again exceeded pre-COVID levels, with demand increasing by 4.4% compared to March 2019. In fact, the figure marked an all-time high since the beginning. from the registry in 1990.
Monthly demand also registered growth (0.4% compared to February 2021), but at a slower pace than the previous month, when it increased 9.2%.
Global capacity, measured in tons of cargo per available kilometer (ACTK), also recovered, growing 5.6% compared to the previous month. However, it still does not exceed precovid levels (11.7% below March 2019) due to the parking of the passenger aircraft fleet.
The result has been driven by world trade, which increased by 0.3% in February and has now accumulated nine consecutive months of growth, the longest in more than two decades. This is also reflected in the growth of manufacturing and export orders, especially in developed countries.
According to Walsh, “Air cargo continues to be a positive factor for aviation. Airlines are taking the necessary steps to get the capacity they need. The crisis is showing that air cargo can cope with big challenges thanks to its ability to adopt innovations quickly. This is how it is responding to growing demand, even when much of the passenger fleet remains ashore. When this crisis is overcome, the sector will need to maintain this stimulus to boost the efficiency of the sector in the long term through digitization ”.
In this business, Latin American airlines recorded the worst performance compared to the other regions with a 23.6% decrease in international cargo volumes in March 2021 compared to March 2019. “The drivers of air cargo demand in Latin America continues to be less favorable in relative terms compared to the rest of the regions. International capacity slowed 46% compared to March 2019, ”explained IATA.
