Both international and domestic travel demand showed marginal improvements in May compared to the prior month, but traffic remained well below pre-pandemic levels, according to IATA. Recovery in international traffic in particular continued to be stymied by extensive government travel restrictions.

Total demand for air travel in May (measured in revenue passenger kilometres, or RPKs) was down 62.7 per cent compared to May 2019. That was a gain over the 65.2 per cent decline recorded in April. International passenger demand in May was 85.1 per cent below May 2019, a small step-up from the 87.2 per cent decline recorded in April versus two years ago. All regions, with the exception of Asia-Pacific, contributed to this modest improvement.

Total domestic demand was down 23.9 per cent versus pre-crisis levels (May 2019), slightly improved over April, when domestic traffic was down 25.5 per cent versus the 2019 period. Traffic in China and Russia continues to be in positive growth territory compared to pre-Covid-19 levels, while India and Japan saw significant deterioration amid new variants and outbreaks.

“We are starting to see positive developments, with some international markets opening to vaccinated travellers. The Northern Hemisphere summer travel season is now fully arrived. It is disappointing that governments are not moving more rapidly to use data to drive border opening strategies that would help revive tourism jobs and reunite families,” said IATA director general Willie Walsh.

He added: “To paraphrase an old saying, when you think that all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Too many governments continue to act as if the only tool in their anti-Covid arsenal is a blanket border closure, or an arrival quarantine. In fact, research from leading medical organisations around the globe confirms that vaccinated travellers pose very little risk to the local population, while data shows that pre-departure testing largely removes the risk of unvaccinated passengers importing the disease.”

Performance by region

European carriers’ international traffic declined 84.7 per cent versus May 2019, improved from the 87.7 per cent decrease in April compared to the same month in 2019. Capacity dropped 75.7 per cent and load factor fell by 31.3 percentage points to 52.9%.

Asia-Pacific airlines saw their May international traffic fall 94.3 per cent, fractionally worse than the 94.2 per cent drop registered in April. The region experienced the steepest traffic declines for a tenth consecutive month. Capacity was down 86.4 per cent and load factor sank 45.5 percentage points to 33.2 per cent.

Middle Eastern airlines experienced an 81.3 per cent demand drop in May, slightly bettering the 82.9 per cent decrease in April. Capacity declined 63.7 per cent and load factor fell 35.3 percentage points to 37.7 per cent.

In North America demand fell 74.4 per cent compared to the 2019 period, an improvement over the 77.6 per cent decline in April versus two years ago. Capacity sagged 58.5 per cent, and load factor dropped 32.2 percentage points to 51.7%.

Latin American airlines saw a 75.1 per cent demand drop in May, notably improved over the 80.9 per cent decline in April. May capacity was down 69.9 per cent and load factor decreased 14.6 percentage points to 69.5 per cent, which was the highest load factor among the regions for the eighth consecutive month.

African carriers experienced a 71.4 per cent fall in traffic in May, a gain from the 75.6 per cent decline in April. May capacity declined 61.8 per cent and load factor dropped 16.9 percentage points to 50.2 per cent.

In early June IATA urged governments to make data-driven decisions to manage the risks of Covid-19 when reopening borders to international travel.