Indian domestic traffic up by 23% in Aug; total traffic at 95.7%: IATA

India, which accounts for 2.0 per cent of the world share, also witnessed a 15.6 per cent growth in available seat kilometers (ASK) and an increase in passenger load factor by 5 percentage points, reaching 83.9 per cent. Globally, the aviation industry witnessed a s resurgence, with the total traffic for August 2023 surging by 28.4 per cent. There has been a strong resurgence in the Indian aviation market, which observed growth in domestic revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) and a significant increase in passenger demand, even as post-pandemic recovery in global passenger traffic continued to strengthen in August 2023. As per data shared by IATA, Indian domestic RPKs soared by 23.2 per cent compared to the same period last year, marking the seventh consecutive month of growth and surpassing pre-pandemic levels. India, accounting for 2.0 per cent of the world share in the domestic passenger market, also witnessed a 15.6 per cent growth in available seat kilometers (ASK) and an increase in passenger load factor (PLF) by 5.1 percentage points, reaching 83.9 per cent. IATA also reported that total domestic traffic for August, showcasing an increase of 25.4 per cent compared to the same month in 2022 and surpassed August 2019 results by 9.2 per cent. This growth was predominantly driven by robust demand in the Chinese domestic market. However, Japan faced disruptions due to Typhoon Khanun, which impacted its domestic air travel market, resulting in a growth rate of 8.7 per cent, slightly lower than the previous month.