Domestic Demand Up But International Travel Largely Shut: Aviation Body

Total demand for air travel in March measured in revenue passenger kilometres was down 67.2 per cent compared to March 2019.

Air passenger traffic fell in March compared to pre-Covid levels (March 2019) but rose compared to the immediate month prior (February 2021), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said. Total demand for air travel in March measured in revenue passenger kilometres was down 67.2 per cent compared to March 2019. That was an improvement over the 74.9 per cent decline recorded in February 2021 versus February 2019. The better performance was driven by gains in domestic markets. International traffic remained largely restricted.International passenger demand in March was 87.8 per cent below March 2019, a very small improvement from the 89 per cent decline recorded in February 2021 versus two years ago. Total domestic demand was down 32.3 per cent versus pre-crisis levels (March 2019), greatly improved over February 2021, when domestic traffic was down 51.2 per cent versus the 2019 period. All markets except India and Brazil showed improvement compared to February 2021.