Passenger demand for international and domestic travel registered small month-to-month improvements in May but revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) were nearly 63 percent below the level recorded in May 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) says.
However, IATA data, released July 7, show that global demand in May for cargo flights, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs) was 9.4 percent higher in May 2019.
IATA said that, because of the pandemic-related drop in air travel in 2020, it is comparing this year’s monthly results with those of 2019.
A seasonal adjustment in monthly data showed that global cargo demand increased in May for the 13th consecutive month, although the pace of growth declined from April’s level, IATA said.
The data showed that international passenger demand in May was 85 percent below that of May 2019; IATA said this was a slight improvement over April’s figures, which showed…
